' 


AROUND  THE  WORLD  IN 
NINETY  DAYS 

A  BOOK  OF  TRAVELS 

By 

FREDERICK  CHAMBERLIN 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


^e».«.^&uwl  »   - 


AROUND   THE    WORLD 
IN      NINETY      DAYS 


A  BOOK  OF  TRAVEL 

By  FREDERICK    CHAMBERLIN 


AUTHOR   OF 
"  In  the   Shoe   String  Country." 
"  The  Blow  from   Behind,"  etc 


THE     C.     M.     CLARK     PUBLISHING    COMPANY,     INC. 

BOSTON,   MASS.,  U.   S.   A. 

1906 


Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  C.   M.  Clark  Publishing  Company,  Inc. 

Boston,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 

7    R  i  g  hts    R  c  s  e  r  v  e  d 


DEDICATION 


To  my  Father 
MR.   EDWARD    CHAMBERLIN 


1965529 


TO    THE    READER 


Most  of  the  plates  in  the  Guam  Chapter  and  a 
number  of  those  concerning  the  Midways  are  from 
photographs  made  by  Mr.  E.  S.  Groves,  of  Hingham, 
Mass.,  and  Commander  Charles  Fremont  Pond,  IT.  S. 
N.,  respectively ;  while  the  two  pictures  of  the  Alba- 
tross dance  were  made  by  Mr.  Walter  K.  Fishei^  of 
Palo  Alto,  Cal.  Of  the  exceptional  courtesy  of  these 
three  gentlemen  I  desire  to  make  this  public  acknowl- 
edgement. 

Aside  from  those  just  mentioned,  I  think  there  are 
not  more  than  half  a  dozen  other  pictures  in  the  book 
which  were  not  taken  by  my  Weno-Hawkeye,  No.  4, 
4x5. 

I  have  poked  some  fun  in  these  pages  at  certain 
people.  I  hope  none  of  them  will  be  ill-natured 
about  it.  They  had  their  chance  at  me.  This  is 
mine. 

F.  C. 
Munroe   Terrace, 

Boston. 
20th   Dec.,   1905. 


CHAPTER  INDEX 


CHAPTER 

PAGE 

I 

The   Start           . 

1 

II 

To  Honolulu 

6 

III 

Hawaii  and  the  Queen 

21 

IV 

Honolulu  to  the    Midways 

56 

V 

The  Midways               . 

65 

VI 

A  Night  in   Guam 

91 

VII 

N earing  the  End        . 

114 

VIII 

The  Filipinos               . 

120 

IX 

Chasing  Oruga              . 

140 

X 

Dewey's  Victims   and  Manila 

175 

XI 

Aguinaldo           . 

186 

XII 

The  Last  of  the  Philippines 

196 

XIII 

China         ...... 

203 

XIV 

Homeward   Bound 

231 

XV 

A  Morning  in  Singapore 

238 

XVI 

To  Ceylon           .... 

248 

XVII 

Four  Hours  in  Ceylon 

260 

XVIII 

Three  Hours  in  Arabia 

269 

XIX 

The  Red    Sea 

280 

XX 

Four  Hours  in   Egypt 

285 

XXI 

The  Mediterranean 

296 

XXII 

Vesuvius              .... 

301 

XXIII 

Rome          ..... 

312 

XXIV 

The  Last  of    Europe 

3 1 6 

XXV 

Home          ..... 

326 

XXVI 

Reflections           .... 

332 

AROUND    THE    WORLD 
IN    NINETY    DAYS 


CHAPTER     I 


THE     START 

In  1902  I  wrote  a  book  on  the  Philippine  Question 
which  attracted  the  attention  of  certain  high  officials. 

In  early  May,  1904,  one  of  them  casually  wrote 
to  know  if  I  would  like  to  do  some  work  in  the  Islands. 
I  replied  that  nothing  would  please  me  more,  but 
I  supposed  it  would  be  impossible  to  leave  for  so  long 
a  journey.     With  that  the  matter  was  dismissed. 

On  June  19th,  1904,  coming  up  from  the  South, 
I  started  Mrs.  Chamberlin  for  Boston  from  Cincinnati 
and  entrained  for  Chicago.  On  the  23d,  Thursday 
evening,  I  left  that  city  for  Sioux  City,  Iowa.  There 
I  was  confronted  with  an  important  lawsuit,  the  out- 
come of  which  would  probably  largely  affect  my  future. 

There  was  more  than  mere  constancy  to  my 
clients  that  made  me  take  the  train  that  night  instead 
of  attending  a  rare  performance  at  the  theatre  with 
friends  whom  I  had  not  seen  in  years.  I  yielded  to 
superstition.  For  a  long  time  I  have  believed  that  if 
I  devote  myself  wholly  to  a  problem  the  most  intricate 
snarl  will  unravel.  That  was  the  sole  reason  why  I 
did  not  postpone  my  departure  for  a  day  or  even  more. 

After  dinner  I  cast  my  eyes  about  the  library  car, 
and  saw  the  first  propitious  sign  vouchsafed  by  the  Fates 

l 


in:  ii  "/:/./>  i  \    \  (XETY  DA  rs 

111  the  form  of  the  man  who  could  help  me  the  most  of 
all  on  earth.     M\  superstition  was  working. 

I'm  afraid  my  approach  l«>  him  was  not  very  digni- 
fied, so  elated  was  I .     For  four  mortal  hours  we  planned 

mpaign,  and  then  separated. 

I '.  ten  on  Friday  morning  I  was  hard  at  work 
with  in\  local  attorneys  preparing  for  the  first  battle 
which  u;is  scheduled  for  Monday  morning.  At  half- 
past  two  I  was  handed  this  dispatch  from  a  Washington 
official : 

Manila   transportation   arranged   for  either  July 
firsl  or  Vugusl  first.     Wire  which." 
Signed  — 

Thai  was  24,967  volts  all  at  once!     Not  "Will  you 
or  '<  'an  you  go?"      but  only  "Wire  date  you  are 

The  surprise  was  as  great  as  if  I  had  never  thought 
of  the  journey. 

I  was  irrevocably  engaged  for  October  first,  in 
l>  ston;  and  a  voyage  to  Manila  would  require  sixty 
day-  at  sea.  August  first  was  too  late,  then.  It  was 
Friday,  three  days  from  San  Francisco,  and  there  was 
a  large  lawsuil  to  be  instituted  or  compromised,  upon 
which  no  steps  could  be  taken  till  Monday;  and  Mon- 
day evening,  at  seven,  the  last  train  would  leave  that 
would  place  me  in  San  Francisco  in  time  to  catch  the 
ship. 

<  me  thing  was  fixed.  I  could  not  go  unless  that 
law >.uit  was  out  of  the  way.  Mv  obligations  to  my 
clients  demanded  that.  Could  I  dispose  of  it,  on 
Monday,  before  seven  in  the  evening?  If  not,  I  could 
not  undertake  the  journey. 

Mrs.  Chamberlin's  last  train  would  leave  Boston 
at  two  o'clock  on  Sunday.  She  must,  therefore,  be 
notified  now. 

'1  he  fact  that  it  was  the  tenth  anniversary  of  our 
marriage  was  a  prominent  factor  in  my  plans. 

In  less  than  fifteen  minutes  J  had  decided  to  go  if 
the  legal  controversy  were  compromised  and  to  proceed 
upon  the  assumption  that  it  would  be. 

2 


THE    START 

I  therefore  telegraphed  Washington  that  I  would 
go  on  July  first  if  transportation  could  be  early  enough 
arranged  for  Mrs.  Chamberlin. 

Then  the  following  telegram  went  to  Mrs.  Cham- 
berlin where  we  sleep  nights,  in  Wollaston,  one  of  the 
best  bedrooms  that  Boston  has,  and  where  I  supposed 
her  to  be. 

"If  Washington  telegraphs  you  transportation  for 
Manila  provided  for  you  take  Boston  &  Albany  two 
o'clock  Sunday  for  Chicago.  There  take  Overland 
Limited  over  Union  Pacific,  leaving  Chicago  North- 
western station  eight  Monday  evening.  Purchase 
tickets  to  San  Francisco  in  Boston  and  wire  ahead  for 
berth  from  Chicago.  I  meet  your  train  Omaha  Tues- 
day morning.  Bring  only  hand  baggage.  WTe  can 
purchase  outfit  in  San  Francisco." 

That  started  things.  If  I  could  not  go,  I  could 
stop  her  at  Omaha. 

The  first  result  arrived  early  Saturday  morning 
before  I  was  awake.  It  came  from  one  of  those  little 
church  and  grocery  store  towns  up  in  the  north  of 
New  Hampshire,  within  one  mile  of  the  Canada  line, 
in  this  guise: 

Night  message. 
West  Stewartstown,  N.  H. 
Just  arrived.     Everything  lovelv. 

F.  M.  C. 

Now  things  were  mighty  squally.  The  situation 
was  this.  She  was  some  twelve  hours  ride  from  Bos- 
ton, and  dependent  upon  only  two  trains  a  day.  The  last 
one  that  would  enable  her  to  reach  Boston  before  two 
Sunday  afternoon  would  leave  West  Stetvartstown  at  one 
o'clock  on  Saturday,  and  it  was  eight  Saturday  morning 
and  she  yet  knew  nothing  of  our  proposed  trip.  But 
the  worst  factor  of  the  situation  was  that  they  who  live 
in  that  locality  have  never  yet  had  to  learn  the  value  of 
time.  For  example :  years  ago  I  was  there  on  a  Saturday, 
in  constant  apprehension  because  of  the  delicacy  of  a 
very  nervous  negotiation  which  I  was  conducting  at 
long  range.     But  nothing  came  to  relieve  my  anxiety 

3 


AHOl  XH    I  III     ii  "/,'//'   /  \     \  /  \  II)    DA  I'S 

unci  I  spent  bad  hours  till  Monday  morning,  when  over 
came  the  telegraph  operator.  As  he  handed  me  what 
1  had  been  suffering  for  for  the  last  two  nights  so  thai 
I  could  not  sleep,  he  explained  "I  thought  I'd  bring 
it  over.      \  in\  might  be  in  ;i  hum  for  it." 

I  thanked  him  and  fell  very  grateful  until  I  saw 
th;it  In-  hum  have  received  the  message  more  than 
forty-eight  hours  previously. 

I  pon  the  successor  of  tins  country  telegraph  op- 
erator depended  our  trip.  The  task  was  to  roach 
Mrs.  Chamberlin  in  four  hours  time  from  Sioux  City, 
and  she  must  ;d-<>  receive  within  the  same  time  a  tel- 
egram from  Washington,  in  response  to  one  I  had 
sent  notifying  the  authority  at  the  capital  of  Mrs. 
Chamberlin's  change  of  address.  Suppose  she  were 
riding.  Suppose  she  had  gone  to  walk.  Suppose  she 
had  gone  calling  without  saying  where.  Suppose  the 
Washington  authority  were  not  in  his  office  when  my 
telegram  reached  there.  Suppose  a  hundred  small 
things,  any  one  of  which  would  cause  delay  too  long. 
Then,  as  I  well  knew,  the  country  telegraph  agent  was 
only  ;it    hi**  office  about  train  times. 

To  \N  esl  Stewartstown  went  a  duplicate  of  my  above 
telegram.  At  two  in  the  afternoon  came  the  following 
from  Washington : 

"Confer  with  Captain  B—  .  .'>(>  New  Montgomery 
Street,  San  Francisco,  who  has  been  directed  furnish 
transportation  to  Manila  for  yourself  and  wife  on  trans- 
port sailing  noon,  July  first.      By  Direction. 

— ,  Quartermaster. 

So  much  gained!  Now  to  hear  from  Xew  Hamp- 
shire. *'<  Jhaser"  after  "chaser"  left  Sioux  City  for  that 
little  town,  but  not  ;i  word  was  received  from  the  operator 
there.  Everything  the  telegraph  superintendent  could 
do  gave  no  clew  to  the  cloud  of  silence.  We  all  con- 
cluded  the  office  there  was  closed. 

At  four-thirty  came  the  first  news: 

"  Leaving  for  Boston.  Leave  Boston  Sunday  after- 
noon. Frances." 


77/ A'  START 

Mrs.  Chamberlin  was  all  right  if  the  trains  would 
run  on  time. 

Sunday  the  two  gentlemen  upon  whose  presence 
I  had  depended  for  victory  on  Monday,  notified  me 
that  they  could  not  be  in  Sioux  City  until  Tuesday. 

That  was  fatal  and  I  was  in  agony  until,  in  view 
of  my  plans,  they  at  last  consented  to  accommodate  me. 

The  fight  began  Monday  at  an  early  hour.  Owing 
to  the  temperature  of  our  adversary  it  was  not  deemed 
advisable  for  me,  whom  he  thought  his  black  beast,  to 
be  present,  so  I  had  to  sit  alone  in  my  room  and  wait. 

At  three  in  the  afternoon  a  snag  was  struck  that 
threatened  to  sink  the  ship,  and  my  allies  came  to  me 
for  a  final  decision.  Armed  with  the  last  hot  shot  they 
returned  to  the  charge  and  at  just  six-thirty-five  they 
entered  my  room  and  threw  on  the  table  the  signed 
contract  of  compromise. 

Five  minutes  later  I  was  speeding  to  the  depot. 

Not  a  purchase  had  I  made  for  the  journey,  and 
excepting  what  I  wore  and  a  change  of  linen,  I  had  no 
wardrobe. 

At  Omaha  I  spent  the  night  writing  letters  and 
sending  telegrams,  until  5.00  a.m.,  wdien  I  lay  down. 

At  nine,  the  Overland  Limited  pulled  in,  on  time. 

In  a  few  minutes  I  was  in  possession  of  Mrs.  C.'s 
story-  Half  an  hour  before  her  last  train  would  leave 
West  Stewartstown  she  had  received  my  telegram, 
within  a  few  minutes  afterward  she  had  the  necessary 
Washington  one,  and  ten  minutes  later  she  was  on  her 
way  to  the  train. 

She  rode  in  a  day  coach  all  night,  missed  the  train 
for  Wollaston  she  had  depended  upon  and  only  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  one  hour  there  to  make  preparations 
for  a  trip  around  the  world. 

The  only  baggage  she  had  comprised  two  dress-suit 
cases. 

We  were  off! 


CHAPTER   II 
TO     HONOLULU 

From  Omaha  to  the  coasl  there  is,  on  the  I  nion 
Pacific,  but  little  notable  scenery  excepl  where  the  train 
creeps  up,  around  and  over  the  Sierras,  down  into  the 

\;dlr\  of  California;  and  when  one  wants  to  look  the 
most  eagerly  the  train  is  sure  to  enter  the  black  mouth 
of  a  long  snow  shed.  At  only  one  point  did  I  think  the 
scenery  as  u:in i u  1  or  beautiful  as  it  is  in  the  White 
Mountains,  and  that  was  at  Summit,  California,  7,000 
feet  above  the  sea. 

Nothing  could  exceed   in  dreariness  the  dry  sands 

t 

of  Wyoming,  I  "tali,  and  Nevada.  It  is  a  continuous 
desert  from  the  Nebraska  corn  fields  to  the  California 
lowlands. 

In  crossing  California  all  1  recall  that  appeared 
strange  was  the  great  size  of  geraniums,  which  grew 
tu  ;i  height  of  small  trees. 

Supposing  that  full  instructions  concerning  my 
credentials,  ostensible  errand,  (the  true  task  was  to  be 
-••irtt  needs,  etc.,  etc.,  would  be  forwarded  from 
Washington  to  the  naval  officer  witli  whom  I  had  been 
toM  by  his  superiors  to  confer,  I  telegraphed  to  him 
from  Keno.  Nevada,  the  train  I  was  on,  the  name  of  our 
San  Francisco  hotel  and  that  I  would  be  obliged  if  he 
would  send  word  to  the  latter  place  telling  where  I 
could  see  him  in  the  evening  after  our  arrival,  for  I  did 
not  possess  a  single  document  or  letter  that  would  open 
even  one  door  for  me  in  the  Philippine  officialdom. 

Imagine,  then,  my  worry  at  finding  only  the  follow- 
ing note  at  the  ( )ccidental : 

Sir: 

Referring  to  your  telegram  of  the  29th  instant,  I 
have  the  honor  to  inform  you  if  you  will  call  at  about 
nine     Friday      morning,     transportation     for     yourself 

6 


TO  HONOLULU 


and  wife  and  other  necessary  instructions  will  be  given 
you  Very  respectfully, 

G.  M.  B ,  Captain  U.S.N. 

I  swallowed  my  wrath  as  best  I  might.  But  my 
disquieting  reflection  was  that  this  discourtesy  looked 
as  if  absolutely  nothing  had  yet  been  arranged  for  me. 

We  were 'astir  before  six  on  Friday  morning,  and 
by  eight-thirty  Mrs.  Chamberlin  was  at  the  Emporium, 
an  enormous  department  store,  while  I  went  to  "confer 

with    Captain    B "    according   to    my    Washington 

telegrams. 

Upon  arriving  at  the  address  before  mentioned,  it 
was  reported  to  me  that  he  was  out.  I  asked  if  there 
were  any  message  from  Washington  for  me  or  about  me, 
and  was  soon  made  to  feel  very  small  at  discovering  that 
nothing  had  been  received  except  a  formal  order  that 
we  be  given  cabin  passage  to  Manila.  Not  even  my 
return  had  been  arranged. 

What  ought  my  course  to  be  ? 

Should  I  await  this  Captain,  who  was  evidently  a 
stickler  for  red  tape,  or  go  on  with  no  letters,  no  facilities 
to  make  my  work  a  success,  trusting  to  later  cable 
messages  or"to  good  fortune  to  fight  my  way  out  of  the 
difficulties  single-handed?  I  glanced  at  the  formal 
order  which  had  been  handed  to  me.  It  commanded 
the  Quartermaster  of  the  transport  to  kt  furnish  Frederick 
Chamberlin  and  wife,  unclassified,  cabin  accommoda- 
tions to  Manila."  Here,  in  my  hands,  was  transporta- 
tion to  the  Orient.  I  had  that,  in  any  event,  and 
would  use  it. 

In  undergoing  the  formalities  that  were  necessary 
to  secure  our  cabin,  I  was  asked  to  sign  a  passengers' 
register,  which  provided  for  all  sorts  of  things  to  be 
done  if  we  sunk  and  the  book  floated.  The  entries  in 
one  column  in  particular  amused  me.  It  was  headed 
"Rank."  So  far  as  known  I  was  the  only  passenger 
who  did  not  take  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  state 
pedigree,  color,  battles,  profession,  amount  of  money 
possessed,   blood    relation   to  some   railroad    president. 


\  /'    THE   WORLD   M     W  \  /.'/')'   DA  YS 

i  eper,  clerk,  or  somebody  who  had  once  been  in 
t lie  sen  ice  of  I  ncle  Sam. 

The  hue  significance  of  all  this  rush  to  write  out 
all  tin-  <rtMid  things  one  dared  to  say  about  himself 
time  apparent  ven  shortly,  but  it  looked  to  me  twice 
as  foolish  as  the  usual  autobiography  of  the  youngesl 
member;  and  so,  I  wrote  nothing.  But  the  others 
wrote  thus,  according  to  the  girl  from  Richmond  who 
said  she  overheard  the  Dutch  clerk  read  the  contents 
of  the  "rank"  column  to  the  artillery  officer  who  was 
assigning  cabins  to  the  passengers  according  to  degrees 
of  rankness: 

"  \     I'.     .  Major  Sevent'  Ardillery  Corps.' 

"Give  him  the  best  room  on  the  boat  and  a  seat  at 
m\  table.  He's  the  rankest  fellow  in  the  whole  bunch," 
decided  the  artillery  officer. 

<  D  .  member  off  Legislature  off— 

A.  (  ). :  lie's  iroinir  to  be  the  Old  Fool  and  the 
General  Nuisance  on  this  trip,  all  right.  He  says  he 
<-ould  have  been  United  States  Senator  (Hie!)  if  he'd 
had  a   mind   to.      Nil  !" 

Note  the  "Hie!"  That  later  becomes  more 
prevalent.  "  But  put  him  up  at  my  table  and  give  him 
one  of  the  besl  rooms.  His  cousin  is  an  officer,  and  he 
may  have  some  influential  friends  tucked  away  some- 
where who  can   help  me  sometime." 

"M.  N..  Vidder  off  '"  A.  O.:  "Never  mind 
of  whom.  She's  that  young  tall  one  with  the  dark 
brown  eye-,  ain't  she.-  Just  put  her  up  at  my  table  as 
near  as  you  can  and  give  her  the  best  thing  left  on  the 
ship      up  at   my  end  of  the  boat." 

'  E  F  (  ,  Deamster'" 

\    O.:     "Aw!  shove  him  way  down  below.'" 

'"Miss     M  B  I)'    -    couzin    off    de' 

steentb  bookkeeper  oil'  de  champion  'soak  de-Public 
R.  B  Co.'  Blays  de  mild  guitar  an' zings  baze.  Dark 
eyes.      Like-  uniforms,  moonlight  an'  dancin."' 

"After  that  guitar  lady  we  drew  last  trip  we'd 
ought  to  try  these  voices  before  we  let  'em  on.  But 
give  her   the  besl   thing  left  all  'round.     This  is  a  long 

8 


TO  HONOLULU 

voyage  and  we  may  want  to  travel  on  that  road  some- 
time. 

"'M —  N — ,  mother  off  a  lieutenant  in  de  Philip- 
pine Scouts.' " 

A.  O.:  "Put  her  between  decks.  Tuck  her  in 
any  old  place,  and  move  her  around  as  often  as  you  like. 
She's  all  alone  and  hasn't  a  friend  aboard.  Set  her  at 
the  table  with  the  mule  drivers.  We  don't  recognize 
the  Scouts. " 

"X—  Y,  Vife  off  assistant  surgeon.  4-11-44  t' 
ardillery.'  Blain,  highly  educated,  a  berfect  lady— 
about  de  most  refined  voman  on  de  boat.'  ' 

A.  O.:  "Can't  help  it.  She's  not  rank  enough, 
so  put  her  at  table  with  the  mule  drivers  and  teamsters 
and  send  her  down  stairs." 

'L—  T.  Son  of  Colonel  -  -  of  the  lOO.t'  in- 
ventry' — on  summer  vacation.' '  "Give  him  best  room 
that  is  left  and  take  him  up  to  my  table.  His  father  has 
influence  and  may  help  me  a  good  deal." 

"A —  D —  T — .     Vormer  U.  S.  Conzul  at  Daho- 
may  Slip.     Now  a  lobbyist.     Married  rich.' ' 

A.  O.:  "Put  him  up  stairs.  He's  got  way-up 
friends.     Set  him  down  in  a  good  place." 

"A—     T — .     Army    nurse.'      Years    tailor-made 
clothes  and  has  splendid  figure." 

A.  O.  was  all  attenion.  "  Wears  tailor-made  clothes  ? 
How's  she  do  that  ?  Guess  you'd  better  give  her  a 
pretty  good  room  up  at  my  end  of  the  ship — and  set  her 
down  at  a  good  table." 

'"A        L—    and    vife,    baymaster    40t'    inventry; 
she's  very  handsome.     Shust  married.'" 

"He's  an  awful  cad.  A  regular  chump,  but  put 
them  at  a  good  table  and  give  them  best  thing  left." 

'"A  M  and  vife.  Quartermaster's  clerk.' 
He's  a  zplendid  fellow,  highly  educated,  very  polished 
man,  but  in  poor  health  and  had  to  give  up  provession; 
college  graduate  and  all  dat.'  " 

"Can't  help  it.  Throw  him  down  stairs.  lie  ain't 
In   the  army;    ain't  rank  at  all." 

'T       I)         Stenographer.    Navy  yard,  CaviteV  ' 


\/:<>i   \l>    I  in:  WORLD   I \    \  I  \  ETY  DA  ) '.s 

*"  I'nt  him  wa}  down.  Set  all  these  clerks,  teamsters 
;itnl  all  such  as  far  down  as  you  can  gel  them  and  herd 
them  all  up  at  the  same  table  in  the  dining  room  saloon 
;i»  far  a>  von  can.  Gel  all  us  rank  army  people  to- 
gether. Our  social  supremacy  must  be  maintained." 
*Frederick  Chamberlin  and  wife.     I  nclassified." 

\  ().:  "Civilian,  eh?  Only  ones  on  the  boat. 
Probabh  some  clerk  w  ho  won't  own  it.  Fire  them  down 
stairs.     The   table  with   the  stenographers  and   clerks 

od  enough  for  them.  Don't  put  them  up  with  any 
of  u^  rank  people.     Alw  ays  keep  us  together,  you  know." 

Probalbly  the  reader  already  understands  what  we 
w ere  soon  to  witness. 

At  exactly  noon,  as  announced.  Friday,  July  1,  we 
withdrew  from  our  pier,  No.  12.  The  instant  we  started, 
the  screws  of  the  "Buford,"  another  transport  that  had 
lain  on  the  other  side  of  the  pier,  turned,  too.  She  was 
taking  a  regimenl  to  Alaska.  The  cheering  crowds, 
t  he  swelling  music  of  the  "  Buford's"  hand,  happy, laugh- 
ing faces,  tear-stained  cheeks  and  misty  eyes,  and  here 
and  there  a  sol),  a  hurrying  to  a  cabin  to  hide  some  vanish- 
ing face,  the  farewells  shouted  to  and  fro  across  the 
steadily  widening  stream  that  lay  between  ships  and 
wharf,  all  made  a  scene  full  of  animation  and  sentiment, 
the  sense  of  which  nobody  could  escape. 

In  the  city  the  air  had  been  so  cool  that  I  had  worn 
an  extra  suit  of  flannels  and  a  rain  coat.  But  before  we 
were  out  of  the  jaws  of  the  Golden  Gate  I  was  dressed 
in  four  union  >uit>  and  three  vests;  and,  then,  wrapped 
in  a  steamer  rug.  was  gradually  freezing  to  death.  The 
only  thing  thai  prevented  such  elimination  of  the  writer 
at  that  point  was  the  remembrance  of  the  kindly  advice 
from  experienced  friends  who  told  me,  a  stranger  to 
this  coast,  that  at  that  time  of  the  year  we  were  sure  to 
frazzle  in  the  hot  sun. 

Our  cabin,  which  was  an  outside  room  on  the  main 
deck,  next  to  the  top  deck,  was  on  the  starboard,  beside 
the  dining  saloon.  Our  quarters  were  about  equal  in 
latitude  and  longitude  to  the  usual  double  berth  cabin 
on  ;i  (irsl  class  Atlantic  liner,  six  and  a  half  feet  square. 

10 


TO  HONOLULU 

Owing  to  the  little  elevation  above  the  water  level  each 
of  these  cabins  was  provided  with  an  iron  water-tight 
door.  Inside  of  this,  and  never  closed  except  in 
storm,  was  a  lattice  door,  which  was  soon  discarded  for 
an  overhanging  curtain  made  from  a  borrowed  piece  of 
colored  cotton  print. 

For  fresh  air  we  depended  upon  a  large  porthole 
and  a  chute  that  stood  in  one  corner.  This  had  an 
adjustable  nozzle  from  which  came  a  strong  current  of 
air  a  number  of  degrees  cooler  than  the  surrounding 
atmosphere. 

In  this  house,  with  one  camp-stool,  were  we  sup- 
posed to  live,  if  we  could,  for  a  month. 


U.  S.  A.  Transport  Sherman 

The  "Sherman"  was  four  hundred  forty-seven 
feet  long,  with  a  beam  of  sixty-five.  Around  the 
promenade  deck  the  distance  was  about  a  hundred  feet 
less  than  the  vessel's  length. 

The  best  staterooms,  those  for  the  "rank"  people, 
-were  here,  the  only  entrances  to  them  from  this  deck. 
These  cabins  left  but  little  space  for  exercise,  a  path  not 
more  than  four  or  five  feet  wide,  except,  at  each  corner, 
both  fore  and  aft,  there  was  an  open  parallelogram  of  say, 
fifty  feet  in  length  by  fifteen  feel  in  width.  Here  were 
held  the  knitting  bees  and  the  card  parties.  Here  the 
"rank"  ladies  settled  their  rank  questions.  Here  it 
was  one  could  find  the  village  gossips. 

l  1 


V    I    l  III     WOULD   I  \    A  I M.  l  V  DA  I'S 

The  steam  heat  was  sadly  needed  the  first  night. 

In  the  evening  at  six  thirty,  half  an  hour  after  the 
dressing  signal,     all  meals  were  announced  by  a  Filipino 

who  furiousl)  beal  a  huge  oriental  gong  in  our  ears 
Hs'he  circled  the  deck  my  introduction  to  the  dining- 
servants  was  ;i  plate  of  hoi  soup  deposited  between 
in\  collar  and  whal  the  Killer  .surrounded,  although  the 
location  quickly  changed  to  other  parts  of  my  person, 
just  which  1*11  not  say.  It  is  besl  for  a  story  teller  to 
something  to  the  render's  imagination.  Hut  1 
w;i-  reassured  by  the  information  that  Casey  always 
became  as  sober  as  was  necessary  when  twenty-four 
hours  had  elapsed  after  leaving  each  port. 

The  room-servants  and  bell-boys  aboard  were 
Filipinos.  Hilario,  a  youth  of  perhaps  twenty,  was  the 
one  w  ho  took  care  of  No.  27. 

M\  diary  for  the  second  day  out,  Saturday,  July  t2. 
is  ;iv  follow  s  : 

"Too  shak)  to  get  up.  Sounds  made  by  a  seasick 
man  next  door  upset  me  while  I  was  leaning  over  to  tie 

IIIY      sllOCS. 

••  Lay  in  berth  all  day.  Filipino  servant  says  'Don't 
like  Aguinaldo.'  No  sun,  cold  and  dark.  "White  caps, 
but  little  motion.  Temperature  til  degrees.  Run  221 
mil' 

Sunday  my  illness  was  over.  We  were  now  as- 
signed to  our  permanent  seats  in  the  dining  saloon. 
Breakfasl  was  served  at  7.30.  As  I  looked  atthe  differ- 
ent faces,  the  dresses,  uniforms,  jewelery,  etc.,  etc.,  I 
saw  that  there  had  been  a  painful  attempt  to  herd  us 
in  pens  according  to  our  supposed  stations  in  life.  The 
clerks  and  stenographers  were  put  at  one  table  because 
they  were  such.  The  rankest  were  given  the  choice 
seats,  which  were  as  far  as  possible  from  those  of  com- 
mon clay  the  Latter,  anybody  who  did  not  possess  an 
army  commission.  The  top  of  the  social  ladder  began 
at  the  quartermaster's  table  at  the  forward  end  of  the 
room. 

Mrs.  Chamberlin  and  1  found  ourselves  with  the 
clerks  and  stenographers.     Casey  still  pursued  us,  but 

12 


TO  HONOLULU 

I  could  see  that  he  had  bleached  a  good  degree,  as 
promised. 

Before  long  we  found  that  the  rank  people  outside 
of  whose  doors  we  usually  seated  ourselves,  as  there  was 
no  other  place  on  board  where  one  could  sit  unless  on 
top  of  the  smokestack  (and  a  "Keep  off  the  grass"  sign 
kept  one  from  even  that  point)  advanced  the  claim  that 
the  occupants  of  each  stateroom  owned  all  the  yard  that 
lay  immediately  in  front  of  it  on  the  promenade  deck,  the 
only  deck  where  first  class  passengers  were  supposed  to 
sit.  The  sequence  of  this  was,  of  course,  that  nobody 
who  had  cabins  on  the  main  deck  could  ever  sit  down,  or 
stand,  on  the  promenade  deck.  The  rank  ones,  by 
looks,  by  mutterings,  by  a  toss  of  the  head,  by  pointings, 
by  remaining  in  doors  and  looking  cross,  if  one  of  our 
chairs  happened  to  be  on  their  side  of  the  fence,  made 
things  decidedly  uncomfortable.  But  we  stood  pat. 
Even  if  we  were  "unclassified,"  we  had  a  right  to  be  on 
the  ship  and  to  some  place  on  the  deck;  and  there  we 
remained. 

The  people  who,  like  those  at  our  table,  were  not 
rank,  treated  each  other  as  if  they  were  human  beings 
inhabiting  the  same  planet — each  full  of  kindness  and 
thoughtfulness  for  all.  These  people  made  life  bearable, 
while  the  rank  people  were  elevating  their  noses  at  each 
other  in  an  endeavor  first  to  seem  to  ignore  the  other's 
presence. 

One  of  the  most  outrageous  things  I  ever  saw  was 
perpetrated  by  the  rank  crowd  of  ladies  upon  one,  who, 
by  her  patience  and  ladylike  behavior  under  such  trying 
circumstances  won  the  admiration  of  every  man  aboard, 
before  we  saw  Manila. 

On  this  first  Sunday,  in  the  evening,  there  was  an 
effort  by  the  rank  outfit  to  make  music.  Heavens! 
it  was  distressing;  and  some  who  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  better  things  moved  to  another  part  of  the  deck. 
The  wife  of  a  department  clerk  aboard  had  been  a  pro- 
fessional singer  for  years  and  had  a  remarkably  clear 
voice.  The  rank  crowd  set  themselves  near  her  chair, 
without,  of  course,  indicating  in  any  way  that  she  was 

13 


.1//  .  in:  WORLD  i \   \  i m:  rv  n.\  VS 

on  the  deck,  and  she,  understanding  the  situation,  <li<l 
not  join  the  singing    ?).     There  came  ;i  time,  however, 

when  the}  broke  down  on  a  song,  and  she,  l<>  help  them 
over  the  weak  ice,  joined  her  trained  voice  with  theirs, 
and  suffering  passengers  like  ourselves  began  to  drift 
toward  her.  The  men,  even  of  tin*  rank  crowd,  were 
delighted  and  plied  her  for  song  after  song;  but  no  rank 
ladies  even  so  much  as  looked  in  the  direction  from 
which  came  thai  bell-like  voice.  She,  considering  that 
the  air  was  tree,  that  no  claims  had  been  staked  for  so 
much  of  it  as  her  sweet  voice  would  employ,  and  being  a 
crracious  woman,  although  not  rank,  kindly  responded 
and  sang  a  number  of  the  old  songs  which  we  requested. 
The  effect  was  too  infections,  even  for  the  rank  outfit, 
and  they  capitulated  and  followed  her  leading.  Down 
on  the  main  deck  the  second  class  passengers  began  to 
gather  near  the  gangway  beneath  the  little  lady's  chair 
and  loudly  applauded  her  efforts. 

Music  seemed  to  have  cut  the  social  veil  and  the  voy- 
age began  to  assume  the  guise  of  a  pleasant  family  party 
affair.  The  officer  whose  duty  it  was  to  see  that  the  pas- 
sengers  had  a  good  time  was  elated  and  enthusiastically 
announced  a  meeting  at  the  same  "corner"  after  dinner 
the  following  evening,  and  he  especially  requested,  on 
behalf  of  the  entire  party,  that  the  singer  would  be 
prepared  to  sing  several  mentioned  songs  upon  that 
i  ccasion. 

Hut  the  next  day!  The  air  was  full  of  scowls,  up- 
lifted chins  and  turned-up  noses.  Not  a  one  of  the  rank 
crowd  saw  the  sweet-voiced  lady  all  day.  To  her 
gracious  nod  to  some  of  those  who  composed  that  im- 
maculate company  who  had  sung  with  her  only  a  few 
hours  before,  only  stony  stares  were  vouchsafed. 

\\  hen  the  evening  came,  true  to  her  ladylike  train- 
ing, -he  repaired  with  her  songs  to  the  chosen  corner. 
The  rank  crowd,  however,  set  themselves  in  another  place 
;i-  fai-  removed  from  her  as  possible,  and  began  their 
squall.  The  officer  who  had,  on  behalf  of  the  entire  ship, 
requested  the  special  songs,  was  with  them,  too;  and  he 
never  renewed  his  requests  till  near  the  end  of  the  voyage, 

l  1 


TO    HONOLULC 

when  the  rank  people  had  to  flee  to  this  one  voice  the 
ship  possessed. 

The  process  of  ostracising  this  lady  was  steadily 
pursued  until  the  quieter,  real  ladies  and  gentlemen 
aboard  began  carefully  but  surely  to  nullify  the  in- 
fluence of  the  codfish  aristocracy  set  up  by  young 
army  people.  By  the  time  the  voyage  was  on  its  last 
half,  the  obtrusive  rank  crowd  had  almost  disappeared 
and  constituted  a  little  slivery  knot  relegated  to  a  niche 
in  one  corner. 

Positions  were  reversed. 

At  noon  on  Sunday  the  temperature  was  65  degrees. 

Monday,  "The  Fourth"  the  water  was  smoother 
and  the  air  73  degrees,  so  off  came  two  of  my  vests  and 
one  union  suit.  The  tone  of  the  whole  ship  warmed 
with  the  sun.  Mrs.  Chamberlin  here  joined  the  card- 
playing  that  several  of  our  table  companions  had  in- 
stituted. It  continued  until  the  end.  My  diary  says 
"I  got  it  for  one  game  but  escaped  after  that." 

The  only  celebration  of  the  day  consisted  of  the 
firing  of  a  revolver  by  an  exuberant  boy,  after  sundown, 
the  explosion  of  some  fireworks,  and  the  first  singing 
among  the  soldiers,  some  seventy-five  of  whom  we  were 
carrying.  As  no  one  organization  comprehended  them 
all,  they  were  called  "casuals,"  just  stray  men  who 
happened  to  be  going  on  this  boat. 

With  the  assistance  of  banjos  and  guitars  they  gave 
an  enjoyable  hour  with  their  four-part,  sad  love  songs. 

On  this  day  a  new  reminder  was  inaugurated  that 
we  were  on  a  journey  to  the  tropics — the  use  of  side 
awnings  to  protect  the  eye  and  to  keep  out  the  heat. 
I  doubt  if  I  have  ever  despised  anything  more  than  I 
did  those  awnings,  and  the  way  they  were  used. 

As  the  whole  ship  was  run  on  army  regulations, 
evidently  drawn  upon  land,  there  was  no  discretion  to 
be  expected  and  none  exhibited.  The  entire  promenade 
deck  was  provided  with  thick  canvas  curtains.  When 
they  were  unrolled  and  tied  down  any  view  of  the  sea 
was  impossible.  Early  after  breakfast  the  side  of  the 
ship    toward    the    sun    would    be    entirely    enclosed,    no 

15 


orld  is  mm:  iy  da  rs 

whether  or  not  thai  was  the  only  side  from  which 

a  }»:•  is  t<»  be  obtained. 

owing  the  noon  meal,  when  the  sun  had  passed  to 
the  •  -        of  the  boat  these  curtains  were  rolled  up 

and   those   «>n   tin-   latter   side    were   tied   down;    even 
if  tin-  wind   had  followed  the  sun.       The   regulations 
amed  t<>  suit  the  sun.     They  would   have  had 
-    had  they  been  drawn  to  be  varied  accord- 
to  tin-  I 

Another  custom  <>f  tin-  "Sherman's"  officers  was  the 
washing  down  of  the  decks  ;it  about  1  or  -2  a.m.  every 
night.  A  more  annoying  time  could  hardly  be  imagined. 
The  swashing  water,  tin*  n<>i-v  men,  the  grating  of  the 
scrubbing  awoke  all  ami.  frequently,  for  the  rest  of  the 
_  it. 

Once  tin-  operation  resulted  disastrously.  One  of 
our  lady  friends  occupied  an  upper  berth  on  the  main 
deck.  Sin-  lay  just  beside  a  large  open  porthole,  from 
which  an  air  scoop  protruded  for  say  eighteen  inches 
out  over  the  water  to  catch  any  breeze  that  might  be 
blowing  or  that  our  motion  might  create.  At  3  a.m.. 
one  of  the  hottest  night-,  just  as  -he  was  in  the  most 
pleasing  part  of  dreamland,  the  deck  washer  who 
manipulated  the  hose  let  it-  streaming  nozzle  fall  over 
the  rail  while  he  and  hi-  companions  proceeded  with 
their  scrubbing,  supposing  that  the  stream  of  water  was 
running  into  the  sea.  Unfortunately  the  nozzle  caught 
in  the  air  -coop  and  a  powerful  two  inch  stream  of 
cold  sea  water  struck  our  sleeping  lady  friend  in  the 
back  between  her  bared  shoulders,  flooded  her  berth, 
and  mad*-  her  believe  the  ship  had  foundered.  She 
rushed  from  her  cabin  in  mortal  terror,  and  it  was  only 
after  the  whole  deek  was  aroused  by  her  shrieks  and 
pleading-  that  the  incident  could  be  closed. 

On  Tuesday  the  air  was  7  4-  degrees,  the  sea  calm. 

Now  began  the  dressing    and    the  efforts  of   the    rank 

people  to  outshine  each  other.     A  more  unappropriate 

place   could    hardly    be    imagined.      The   dining   saloon 

;i   little  cubby  hole,  about  ejerht  feet  high,  twentv 

■  ide.  ;)nd  twice  a-  long.     There  was  not  a  luxurious 

16 


TO  HONOLULU 

appointment  to  the  ship.  It  did  not  even  carry  a  piano, 
to  say  nothing  of  an  orchestra.  The  cook's  galley,  the 
serving  table,  the  dish  washers  and  the  bathrooms  flanked 
the  main  entrance  to  the  saloon.  In  other  words  the 
surroundings  were  like  a  fourth-rate  hotel,  although  the 
food  was  first  class.  Yet,  in  these  circumstances  the  rank 
crowd,  of  whom  I  doubt  if  there  was  one  who  had 
$5,000  in  cash  or  otherwise,  proceeded  to  dress  for 
dinner.  And  they  actually  paraded  themselves  in  full 
evening  dress,  as  near  no  dress  as  possible,  with  every 
bit  of  jewelry  they  could  put  their  hands  onto.  Many 
of  their  costumes  were  positive  frights.  Their  owners 
had  discovered  that  their  husbands,  new,  young  army 
officers,  believed  that  socially  they  were  ranker  than  any 
other  people  on  earth  or  on  sea.  The  wife,  then,  should 
dress  accordingly.  The  results  can  be  imagined  far 
better  than  described. 

On  the  fifth  of  July  the  officers  donned  white  duck, 
the  ladies  began  to  wear  similar  goods,  and  the  blankets 
were  removed  from  our  cabins. 

The  following  day,  the  sixth,  the  temperature 
leaped  to  77  degrees  and  I  discarded  one  union  suit  and 
one  vest.  This  was  also  the  day  all  on  board  were  re- 
quired to  be  vaccinated  unless  they  had  recently  under- 
gone this  ordeal.  Immediately  the  ship  was  teeming 
with  consternation  and  protest,  but  there  was  no  escape, 
and  the  Chamberlins  took  their  medicine  as  did  the 
remainder. 

On  the  seventh  the  air  took  on  two  more  degrees 
and  I  doffed  another  suit  and  another  vest.  Here  we 
began  to  be  introduced  to  the  rank  coterie  and  from 
new  heights,  scaled  for  the  first  time  since  leaving,  felt 
as  if  we  were  still  inhabitants  of  the  same  world  with 
these  splendid  creatures.  The  next  day,  the  eighth, 
the  air  was  one  degree  cooler,  78  degrees,  and  I  went 
below  and  added  another  union  suit  to  my  dress.  Later 
in  the  day  two  vests  wrent  over  the  one  to  which  I  had 
reduced  myself.  As  we  were  due  at  Honolulu  I  he  next 
day,  the  ship  buzzed  with  gladness.  A  number  of  I  he 
passengers   would   there   leave   us   and    nobody   was   to 


///     ii  ORLD   I  \     VI  VETY   DA  VS 

so  there  would  be  a  shifting  of  cabins  and  a 
new  si* ramble  for  the  besl  ones. 

It  was  «'ii  this  last  da}  thai  I  learned  that  this 
famih  had  become  the  object  of  considerable  solicitude 

"the  rank  crowd.  We  were  the  only  civilians 
tiboard  among  hundreds  of  army,  navy,  and  other 
government  people.  Inquiries  we  always  parried;  but 
thai  onh  added  to  the  interest.  The  presence  of  one 
of  the  buttons  of  the  Boston  Press  Club  in  my  lapel  led 
somebod}  to  state  thai  I  was  a  newspaper  man.  That 
caused  me  to  drop  several  degrees.  Then  somebody 
who  knew  that  1  had  been  tryingto  be  a  lawyer  and  that 
I  was  so  known  in  Omaha,  set  me  right;  later  another 
appeared  who  had  read  my  hook,  hut  what  I  was 
going  to  the  Philippines  for  was  what  the  rank  people 

ted  to  know;  and  that  they  could  not  discover. 
\\  •  woe  .1  mystery;  and  we  might  be  of  some  slight  im- 
portance. Hence,  in  the  last  day  or  so  before  Hawaii, 
thin^  came  our  \\ ay  rapidly. 

This  alteration,  however,  was  only  amusing,  and 
we  ln-ld  to  our  firsl  friends. 

Saturday  .  the  ninth,  early  in  the  morning,  we  sighted 
the  Hawaiian  [stands.  The  first  view  of  them  is  majes- 
tic and  beautiful.  Those  to  the  southwest  of  the  island 
of  Oahu,  which  is  the  one  containing  Honolulu,  have 
huge  mountains,  some  of  them  enormous  volcanoes. 
I  exceed    13,000  feet    in  elevation;   so  that  the  first 

sight  i>  of  distant,  cloud-capped  mountains  that  appear 

ach  to  the  sky. 

Far  we  had  had  no  rain,  no  heavy  sea,  no  storm. 
(  me  day  had  been  like  another.  Card-playing,  novel 
reading,  knitting,  eating,  walking  and  the  evening 
attempts  at   music  had   Idled  the  lagging  hours  of  all. 

In  the  smoking  room,  as  elsewhere,  the  usual  game 
of  cards   was  known   as  "Five   hundred."     Poker  had 

ye\  made  an  appearance.  The  heat  of  the  tropics, 
had,  however,  and  I  discarded  all  but  my  usual  summer 

it  of  clothing. 

The  southern  side  of  Oahu  is  the  most  beautiful 
natural  approach   to  a   land  from  the  sea  that  I  have 

1- 


TO   HO XO LULU 


ever  seen.  The  mountains  are  so  low  that  the  many 
shaded  green  trees  that  cover  them  cling  even  to  their 
very  summits.  Moreover,  these  heights  look-the  way  one 
likes  to  have  mountains  appear.  They  are  symmetrical, 
conical,  very  sharp  pointed,  scores  of  them  always  in 
view.  Beneath  the  darker  greens  of  the  trees  on  the 
mountain  sides  are  miles  on  miles  of  a  broad  very  light 
green  belt  that  rises  from  the  water-level,  way  around 
the  island  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see.  It  is  composed  of 
vast  sugar  cane  plantations. 

As  we  were  coming;  in  sight  of  Diamond  Head,  the 


Diamond  Head  Light  in  the  Moonlight 

extinct  volcano  that  guards  the  entrance  to  Honolulu 
Harbor,  Mrs.  Chamberlin  was  taken  violently  ill  with 
what  some  insist  is  appendicitis. 

The  pain  increased,  and  with  sinking  hearts  we 
realized  that  she  was  fated  to  undergo  another  of  what 
was  known  in  our  family  as  an  "attack."  Five  times  in 
two  years  had  these  occurred.  Each  one  had  demanded 
heroic  treatment  by  physicans  and  trained   nurses. 

The  "Sherman"  was  due  to  sail  from  Honolulu  in 
twenty-four  hours. 

ID 


.I/,'"/  W   THE   WORLD   IS     V1NETY  DAYS 

Could  a  blacker  outlook  l>e  imagined  than  that 
w  I  lie  1 1  confronted  us?  Ten  days,  we  believed,  from  such 
aid  as  was  available  ;il  home!  This  mighl  Ik-  the  time 
when  an  operation  would  be  absolutely  necessary. 
What  sort  i>(  surgeons  did  they  have  in  this  little  island? 
l>id  tlir\  have  trained  nurses?  Did  they  have  a  man 
who  had  ever  treated  appendicitis*?  What  did  this 
mean  to  us?  Were  we  to  stop  here  for  a  dangerous 
illness  in  this  heat.-  That  would  be  fatal,  for  excessive 
heat  is  the  only  thing  Mrs.  C.  cannot  well  bear. 

We  had  one  consolation  the  Queen  of  this  beautiful 
laud  that  we  could  seegliding  by  our  porthole.  This  was 
hers,  tlii—  unknown  country,  these  grand  hills,  these 
great  mountains,  the  Queen's,  and  she  was  our  friend. 
Everything  in  Honolulu  would  be  brought  to  our  assist- 
ance  at  her  word,  and  as  these  thoughts  came  to  me, 
1  felt  the  exhilaration  of  a  hope,  of  the  battle  turning  to 
victory,  and  we  both  grasped  the  problem  with  renewed 
determination. 


CHAPTER  III 


HAWAII  AND  THE  QUEEN 

It  was  near  to  four  in  the  afternoon  as  we  rounded 
Diamond  Head  and  ran  along  close  to  Waikiki  Beach 


?H'£- 


H.  M.  Liliuokalani  of  Hawaii 

where  is  probably  the  most  famous  surf  bathing  in  the 
world. 


21 


AROi   v/'    THE  WORLD  l\    NINETY  PAYS 

The  water  is  a  very  light  green  and  is  fringed  upon 
every  hand  with  huge  white  crests  thai  break  with 
thunderous  roar  on  wandering  coral  shoals. 

Honolulu  lay  under  our  eves.  It  is  down  close  to 
the  water,  in  the  lap  of  overhanging  mountains,  and  one 
readily  sees  thai  it  isa  rambling  town  of  only  some  40,000 
inhabitants  with  ;i  compacl  little  knot  of  business 
buildings  aboul  a  quarter  mile  from  the  water. 

\«.w  for  the  firsl  time  in  our  lives,  we  could  see  the 
mystic  palm  waving  tall  in  its  own  warm  breezes. 

These  broad  branches,  swimming  native  hoys  who 


We  approach  the  Wharf 

came  to  meet  us  to  dive  for  pennies,  families  bathing  in 
almosl  equally  abbreviated  costumes,  and  the  presence 
on  the  wharf  of  -cores  of  dark  skinned,  barefooted,  na- 
tive women,  clad  only  in  what  we  call  Mother  Hub- 
bards,  were  about  all  we  saw,  except  the  white  suits  of 
the  Americans,  which  were  almost  universally  worn, 
that  told  us  we  were  approaching  a  land  different  from 
on r  own. 

Somebody  told  us  the  best  hotel  was  the  Alexander 
Young,  and  soon  we  were  driving  slowly  upon  asphalt 
pavements  in  search  of  it. 

22 


II A  WAI1  A ND   THE   (/ ( 'K K X 

The  streets,  for  the  most  part,  we  could  see  were 
narrow  and  wandering,  the  sidewalks  insignificant. 
But  we  were  in  the  poorer  part.  The  hotel  we  found  a 
great  surprise.  It  must  be  three  hundred  feet  long, 
recently  built  and  four  and  six  stories  in  height.  In  its 
comforts  it  was  the  equal  of  any  hotel  which  we  had 
ever  seen.  Swift  elevators,  marble  floors  and  wainscot- 
ing, luxurious  parlors,  individual  telephones,  splendidly 
furnished  rooms,  everything  that  the  best  American 
hotels  could  furnish  were  here.  But,  above  all,  we 
enjoyed  the  servants,  who  were  Chinamen.  They  were 
dressed  in  immaculate  white,  worked  industriously, 
silently,  and  neatly. 

I  stated  our  predicament  to  the  proprietor.  lie 
showed  concern  in  our  search  for  a  room  that  would 
receive  the  cool  breeze,  for  the  thermometer  was  just 
rising  80  degrees  and  soon  my  invalid  was  abed  in  a 
room  fanned  by  the  clear  air  of  the  highlands.  This 
later  moderated  to  75  degrees,  where  the  glass  remained 
all  night.  This  is  about  the  usual  July  temperature, 
I  note  from  an  examination  of  the  records  for  preceding 
years,  and  July  is  always  the  hottest  month. 

In  1903  the  average  temperature  from  three  ratings 
per  diem,  one  at  6  a.m.,  one  at  1  p.m.,  and  a  third  at 
9  p.m.,  was  69  degrees  in  January,  66  degrees  in  Feb- 
ruary, 67  degrees  in  March,  71  degrees  in  April,  74  de- 
grees in  May,  75  degrees  in  June,  77  degrees  in  July, 
77  degrees  in  August,  76  degrees  in  September,  75 
degrees  in  October,  73  degrees  in  November  and  71 
degrees  in  December.  The  highest  the  glass  regis- 
tered was  89  degrees  in  July  and  the  lowest  was  51 
degrees  in  February. 

Then  I  started  to  the  Queen,  our  friend,  whose 
town  residence,  Washington  Place,  was  only  a  short 
twTo  blocks  away. 

For  nearly  ten  years  Liliuokalani  and  I  had  been 
close  friends,  and  from  time  to  time  I  had  journeyed  to 
Washington,  where  she  had  spent  her  winters  of  late, 
to  advise  with  her  upon  matters  that  she  desired 
to  place  in   my  charge,   and    hardly  a    week   has   flown 

23 


M;i,i    \  ;>    THE   w  ORLD   l\     V/J\  ETY   /'.I  YS 

bul  thai  some  word   has  come  l<>  us   from  her,  whether 
in  our  country  or  in  her  own.     Frequently  she  sends 

Mime  music,  ;i   poem.  ;i  song  she  has  been   writing,  a 
memento  that  testifies  l<>  her  friendship. 

The  popular  idea  in  this  country  is  thai  Liliuokalani 
is  an  enormously  large  savage,  of  gross,  abandoned, 
immoral,  immodest,  dissolute,  ignorant,  savage,  licen- 
tious,  pagan  character. 

It  is  worth  while  to  consider  how  this  common  con- 
ception of  her  was  stimulated  and  spread  among  us. 

In  the  early  90's  the  large  majority  of  the  sugar 
planters  of  Hawaii,  for  reasons  we  need  not  detail, 
formed  a  definite  plan  to  bring  about  the  annexation  of 
the  islands  to  us.  This  necessarily  involved  the  violent 
overthrow  of  Her  Majesty.  This  last  they  accomplished 
by  means  now  fixed  in  history.  Then,  finding  that  they 
musl  prevent  extensive  sympathy  for  her  unfortunate 
situation  from  arising  in  America,  unless  thev  would 
seriously  imperil  their  projects,  they  employed  the  best 
weapon  with  which  to  combat  that  danger,  and  that  was 
libel  and  slander.  The  fact  that  a  Democratic  ad- 
ministration succeeded  a  Republican  one  only  about  a 
month  after  the  dethronement  made  Liliuokalani  and 
her  character  a  political  issue,  and  the  newspapers  of 
the  party  whose  administration  had  deposed  her,  opened 
their  columns  as  always  at  such  exigencies  to  whatever 
was  offered  that  justified  their  side  of  the  controversy. 

Of  this  remarkably  favorable  opportunity  the 
planters  took  full  advantage,  and  no  hoodwinking  of 
the  American  people  for  purely  private  ends  ever  suc- 
ceeded  better,  except,  perhaps,  in  the  single  instance  of 
the  recent  manufacturing  of  sentiment  preferring  the  poor 
Nicaragua  route  over  thai  of  Panama  for  the  great  canal. 

Of  the  deliberateness  of  the  attack  upon  Liliuoka- 
lani I  received  indisputable  evidence  within  fifty  days 
after  leaving  Honolulu  in  the  course  of  the  confidences 
of  a  fellow  passenger  who,  for  over  twenty  years,  had 
been  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  these  very  men. 
The  pendulum  is  swinging  again  and  to-day,  for 
business     reasons,    these    gentlemen    are    cursing    the 

24 


HAW  rA  II  A  XI)   THE  (J  ( '  E  K  N 

ill-fated    day    when    they    succeeded     in     annexation. 

Let  me  illustrate.  Here  on  my  desk  is  a  book 
published  by  one  of  the  naval  officers  whose  men  com- 
posed the  force  of  American  marines,  the  landing  of 
which  resulted  in  the  overthrow  of  the  Queen.  The 
volume  purposes  to  be  a  record  of  "facts,  which  (the 
author  says  in  the  preface)  I  know  to  be  true  from  my 
personal  observation  and  investigation."  The  book  is 
dedicated  to  the  commander  of  the  naval  vessel  from 
which  the  marines  came  and  to  the  American  Minister, 
who,  in  effect,  if  not  in  fact,  directed  their  movements 
and  their  landing. 

Here  are  some  excerpts  from  this  work: 

"She  (Liliuokalani)  had,  on  an  occasion  before 
her  succession,  entered  into  a  conspiracy  to  supplant 
her  brother  (Kalakaua,  the  late  King)  even  at  the 
expense,  if  necessary,  of  walking  over  his  dead  body." 

That  constitutes  her  a  demon  as  black  as  any  in 
history.  Few  women  have  ever  murdered  their 
brothers,  especially  when  the  latter  had  raised  them  to  a 
position  second  only  to  their  own. 

"Liliuokalani  .  .  .  resembled  him  (Kalakaua  whom 
she  followed  on  the  throne)  in  superstition,  selfishness, 
and  savage  ignorance,  and,  like  him  was  a  hater  of 
whites  and  a  promotor  of  race  prejudices." 

This  makes  her  an  infidel,  ungenerous,  a  savage  and 
ignorant. 

"She  was  such  a  mistress  of  dissimulation  as  to 
convince  many  well-meaning  people  that  she  was  a 
strict  believer  in  the  Christian  religion,  whereas  she 
was  an  idolatress  and  worshipper  of  the  old  pagan 
superstitions  of  Hawaii  mythology." 

Therefore  she  is  insincere,  a  hypocrite,  a  perjurer 
and  a  pagan  idolater. 

" She  kept  continually  around  her  Kahunas  (priests) 
and  heathen  sorcerers  to  counsel  and  assist  her,  and 
women  of  openly  bad  character  were  her  constant 
personal  attendants.  She  was  addicted  to  the  grossest 
social  vices  ...  a  ministry  was  appointed  .  .  .  com- 
posed  of    men   she  selected   under    promise,   made   in 

2  5 


IROl  Xli    I  Hi:   WORLD   IS    \I\IIY   DAYS 

advance,  thai  they  would  :i|»|»«>iiil  her  favorite  paramour 
(n  the  marshalship  <»t  that  Kingdom." 

In  thai  paragraph  is  the  lowesl  depth  to  which 
woman  can  descend.  The  fad  thai  the  Queen  had  the 
i  \.  lusive  power  to  appoinl  tin*  marshal  is  important. 

"He  Kalakaua)  and  hi->  sister,  Liliuokalani  .  .  . 
have  constantly  been  the  centre  of  a  baleful,  degrading 
influence,  exalting  immorality,  drunkenness,  heathenism 
and  race  hatred,  For  their  own  personal,  selfish  ends." 

Our  informant  attended  a  reception  by  her.  This 
i>  how   he  repays  her  courtesy: 

'*  Her  manner  and  general  appearance  were  such  as 
to  convince  me  .  .  .  thai  she  was  under  the  influence 
of  some  intoxicant  rather  than  mere  excitement.  This 
opinion  was  borne  out  .  .  .  when  a  verv  high  and  dis- 
tinguished official  .  .  .  said  to  me,  'we  have  at  last 
induced  her  to  postpone  her  coup,  and  if  she  had  not 
been  full  of  gin  we  would  have  accomplished  it  long 
;iLr"  ...  at  night  the  old  court  circles  gathered  at  the 
Ex-Queen's  residence,  and  between  poi,  gin,  and  music 
the  party  had  a  royal  time."  Later  on  he  calls  her  a 
bloodthirsty  and  dissolute  Queen. 

Such  is  the  picture  sent  out  into  the  world  by  an 
American, naval  officer,  issued  by  one  of  our  first-class 
publishing  houses. 

It'  it  be  added  that  her  waistband  measures  as  much 
as  her  height,  thai  she  has  never  bathed,  that  she  never 
wears  anything  except  a  smile,  ear-rings  and  anklets, 
chews  tobacco,  and  picks  her  teeth  with  the  wrist  bone 
of  the  white  infant  who  is  served  up  for  her  dinner  each 
day,  while  she  sits  on  the  sand  in  the  open  air  surrounded 
by  a  large  company  of  gentlemen  and  ladies,  whose  dress 
i-  similar  in  all  respects  to  her  own,  the  picture  would 
be  quite  complete. 

Now   for  the  Pacts  as  they  really  are. 

In  these  ten  years  of  close  acquaintance  with  her 
a-  friend  and  client.  I  have  been  many  hours  in  her 
company,  been  the  confidant  of  her  business  and  social 
problem-,  and  have  spent  many  days  and  nights  as  her 
guest  in  her  own  residence.     I  know  intimately  members 

26 


The  Queen  discards  Mourning 


HAWAII  AND   THE  QUEEN 

of  her  husband's  family,  which  is  one  of  the  oldest  and 
one  of  the  most  noted  in  Boston. 

In  appearance  she  looks  far  less  than  her  sixty  odd 
years,  especially  if  she  is  animated  by  any  peculiar 
interest  or  some  little  excitement  like  that  attending  any 
experience  out  of  the  regular,  quiet,  almost  dreamy 
routine   in  which  her  life   is   now   passed. 

In  height  she  is  five  feet  five  inches.  Her  weight 
is  165  pounds.  Her  hands  are  small,  her  color  that  of 
the  American  Indian,  while  her  hair  is  but  little  gray. 

Her  figure  is  erect,  her  voice  low  and  musical  and, 
when  interested,  her  countenance  lights  up  with  the 
illumination  of  a  deep  soul.  In  dress  she  is  always  very 
modest  and  since  her  husband's  death,  now  some  dozen 
years  ago,  just  after  her  coronation,  she  seldom  appears 
publicly  in  anything  but  mourning.  For  jewelry  she 
usually  wears  only  her  husband's  masonic  pin  and  one 
or  two  simple  rings.  When  rheumatism  assails  her 
upon  occasion,  she  walks  a  bit  lame. 

No  New  England  girl  attended  better  public  schools 
than  Liliuokalani.  The  Yankee  school  marm  has  long 
taught  the  Honolulu  children. 

The  Queen  is  a  poet.  So  was  her  brother,  King 
Kalakaua.  She  is  a  highly  trained  musician.  So  was 
he.  They  are  the  only  ones  of  the  Hawaiian  monarchs 
who  have  written  books.  Liliuokalani  is  the  most 
popular  composer  of  music  that  the  Hawaiian  people 
has  ever  produced,  and  writes  and  speaks  English  prac- 
tically as  well  as  she  does  her  own  language.  She  is  a 
member  of  widely  known  societies,  like  the  Ladies' 
Pioneer  Society  of  San  Francisco,  of  scientific  associations 
like  the  Polynesian  Historical  Society.  She  has  col- 
lected and  forever  preserved  the  ancient  traditions  of  her 
fast  disappearing  race.  Two  of  her  songs  will  un- 
doubtedly live  as  long  as  music.  They  have  been  sung 
now  for  years  and  grow  more  and  more  popular  with 
time.  Once  in  a  while  1  hear  an  orchestra  play  one  of 
them.  It  is  esteemed  by  the  Hawaiian  people  more 
than  any  other  song  they  have  ever  heard,  and  they 
sing  it  at  all  times  and  at   all   places.      It   is  one  of  the 

27 


i/tol  \i>  ////:  ii  "/,-/  i>  i  \   \  i  \i:  /)    i>.\  vs 


ALOHA  OE 
Farewell  to  Thee 


Worda  and  Mubic  by 

HER  MAJESTY 

ULIUOKALANI  of  HAWAI! 


<v  rS  • 


"""  IdJj'nIr'txL'dJf'Lr^^'1^ 


Ha  -   a        -  hro 
StoU  tieht 

Prood-ly  sw,.pt 


ka         u     -     a  i     -      na  pali 

die      Wol  -    ke      iiber      den  Fels 

the        rain  by        the  cliffs 


Ke 

Und 

As 


nihi  a   -    e    -    la       ka      na    -     hele 

als  sie  durch  die    Bail  -me        schnebt 

on  it     g'li   -  ded    thro'  the        trees 


E      ha    -      ha     -        i        pa -ha     i        ka 
Folsrt  mit        Trau  -    er     ihr  die 

Still  foil  -  'wing:    ev  -  er     the 


liko, 

liku, 

liko, 


Pu-a  A 

Die  A 

The  A 


hi  -  hi     Le  -  hu  -  a       o  uka   

hi  -  hi     le  -  hu  -a       des  Thais 

hi  -  hi     Le  -  hu  -  a      of  the        vale  _ 


Copyright.  ISSi.  by  LILIU0KALAN1 


I'- 


HAWAII  AND   THE  QUEEN 


A  -lo-ha     o  -     -   e,   a  -lo-ha     o  -       -  e,     E   ke      o  -  na-  o  -  na    no  -ho    i  -  ka 

Funle-be     -wohl,        DuViel  ge  -  lieb    -    te,    Du       Zau-be-rin  in  schatt'gen  Lau-ben 

Farewell  to     thee,        farewell  to      thee,  Thou  charming- one  who  dwells  in    sha-ded 


A  -  lo  -ha 

Nunle-be      -wohl 
Farewell  to       thee, 


e,  a  -  lo  -  ha     o  -      -   e,     E  ke      o  -  na-  o  -  na     no  -  ho    i  -  ka 
DuViel  ge  -  lieb    -    te,    Du       Zau-be-rin    in  schatfgen  Lau-ben 
farewell  to      thee,  Thou  charming- one  who  dwells  in  sha-ded 


li  -   po        A 

•won  -    nend,   Um 
bow    -     'rs  A 


fond  em-brace     a       ho-i     a-e     au,     Un  -  til        we  meet    a  -  g-ain. 

ar-me  mich,  Ich    scheide  ramixm  dir     Um     bald  Dick  -aiederzu  seh'n. 

fond  em-brace  ere   I  de  -  part,  Un  -  til        we  meet     a-  g-ain. 


li  ko         A 

tboK   -  nend,   Um 
bow   -     'rs         A 


fond  em-brace    a        ho-i      a-e     au,      Un  -  til        we  meet     a  -  gfain. 

ar-me  mich,  Ich  scheide  nun-son  dir     Um     baldDich  ■wiederzu  seh'n. 

fond  em -brace  ere  I  de-part,  Un  -  til         we  meet     a  -  g-ain. 


29 


AJiOl   M>    I  Hi:   WORLD   l\    NINETY   DAYS 

songs,  the  melody  «»l  which  sinks  into  1 1  it*  brain  and 
recurs  to  memon  again  and  again.  Il  is  called  Aloha 
(  v  Farewell  i«»  Thee).  The  Queen  composed  both  the 
w ords  and  music. 

Her  published  literary  works  arc  two  in  number 
Hawaii's  Storx  l>\  Hawaii's  Queen  (Lee  &  Shepard, 
Boston  .  a  volume  <>f  some  five  hundred  pages,  detailing 
her  life,  travels,  reign  and  overthrow  and  a  volume 
entitled  Hawaiian  Tradition  of  the  Creation,  same  pub- 
lishers, containing  a  description  of  how  the  world  was 
formed  according  to  the  Hawaiian  sage  Keaulunoku, 
whose  version  appeared  in  1700. 

Besides  the  songs  mentioned  above,  many  others 
are  to  be  found  in  the  different  collections  of  Hawaiian 
music. 

In  manner  she  is  what  one  imagines  a  Queen, 
dignified,  not  haughty;  calm,  gracious,  solicitous  of  the 
comfort  of  all,  studious  of  what  will  please  them. 
Generous  to  a  fault  is  she,  forgiving,  slow  to  anger,  full 
of  kindly  spirit,  and  imbued  with  a  deep  sense  of 
noblesse  oblige.  Her  home,  for  these  ten  years,  I  know, 
has  always  contained  several  whom  she  is  educating 
with  her  own  purse.  Just  now  there  are  three  whom 
she  brings  to  Washington  with  her  each  fall,  where  they 
have  had  private  tutors  as  well  as  access  to  the  best 
schools.      She  always  calls  them  "the  children." 

"I  love  to  hear  their  young  voices.  They  keep  me 
cheerful  and  young,"  she  said  to  me  only  a  month  ago. 
^  e  -at  in  hei'  little  reception  room,  she  playing  a  game 
<>t  solitaire,  the  three  young  people  singing  at  the  piano 
with  their  strange,  wonderfully  blending  voices  just 
suited  to  the  songs  of  their  race. 

"Nothing  worries  me.  I  am  happy  and  contented. 
I  have  time  to  think,  read  and  reflect.  I  receive  nobody 
and  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  can  feel  free  to  do  as  I 
w  ish.  All  J  want  i>  to  do  the  best  I  can  for  the  children 
and  help  my  people  in  everyway  I  may.  I  want  them 
to  be  well  cared  for,  they  are  so  poor  and  helpless.  I 
;iin  providing  for  as  many  of  them  as  I  can,  and  shall 
continue  to  do  so." 

30 


HAWAII  AND   Till-:  QUEEN 

I  knew  that.  She  has  for  years  and  is  now  allow- 
ing her  lands  to  be  occupied  gratuitously  by  scores  of 
families. 

In  long  conversations  about  her  overthrow,  and  of 
the  false  friends,  who,  at  the  critical  time,  deceived  and 
deserted  her  who  had  made  them  all  that  they  were. 
never  a  bitter  or  reproachful  word  did  she  speak. 

In  Washington  her  life  is  one  of  music,  flowers, 
reading,  and  reflection.  At  eight  is  breakfast.  Then 
the  children  hurry  to  school.  The  Queen  writes  some 
letters.  Often  she  turns  to  a  low  table  at  her  side 
and  writes  a  bar  of  music  that  has  suddenly  lodged 
in  her  being;  or  perhaps  a  line  of  a  poem  upon  which 
she  wrorks  a  little  every  day.  We  talk  of  business 
affairs,  when  it  is  seen  that  she  is  most  methodical, 
and  carries  the  minutest  details  always  in  memory. 
She  weighs  well  her  every  word.  She  may  play  the 
piano  for  half  an  hour  and  then  comes  lunch,  and  the 
children.  Music  follows,  and  at  my  request,  the  children 
always  sing  the  songs  of  their  Queen,  for  she  is  always 
'Your  Majesty"  to  them  and  to  all  who  are  admitted  to 
her.  If  a  piece  is  to  be  transposed,  the  one  at  the 
piano  asks  Her  Majesty  for  advice  as  to  the  technical 
details,  who  answers  with  immediate  knowledge,  with- 
out  even  interrupting  her  solitaire.  Often  she  joins  the 
children  in  singing  some  favorite  composition. 

When  I  was  there  last  she  was  putting  into  Ger- 
man the  words  of  one  of  her  old  songs,  writing  on  the 
score  with  a  pencil. 

In  the  afternoon  she  reads  or  writes  some  more. 
Then  comes  a  nap  and  the  dressing  for  dinner.  This, 
like  the  other  meals,  is  simple,  served  as  typical  Amer- 
ican meals,  except  that  fruit  appears  to  occupy  a  more 
prominent  place  than  in  most  of  our  eating.  No  spirits 
of  any  kind  are  ever  served, nor  have  [ever seen  any  in 
the  house,  or  discovered  any  evidence  of  them. 

The  evening  is  all  music  and  laughter  to  the  younger 
ones,  while  the  Queen  sits  to  one  side,  half  listening, 
half  thinking;  the  perfect  picture  of  content  and  calm 
faith  in  the  future. 

.".1 


.i/,'"/  xn  i hi:  \rt w Mi  /.\  x/xety  days 

She  nttends  the  Episcopal  church  with  regularity, 
helps  materially  in  its  support,  and  lakes  an  active  part 
in  ;in\  of  the  work  in  which  she  can  do  good. 

Her  la rgeness  of  mind,  sense  of  humor  and  breadth 
of  \  icw  are  shown  l>\  the  following  incident. 

One  evening  we  were  seated  in  a  small  parlor  of 
the  Ebbitl  House,  in  Washington.  Her  identity  became 
know  n  and  many  curious  ill-bred  people  pointed  her  out 
one  to  the  other.  A  young  lady  so  far  forgo!  herself 
as  to  stand  at  a  nearby  post  and  peek  at  Her  Majesty 
whenever  the  latter  did  not  appear  to  be  looking. 
The  Queen  turned  to  me  and  said.  "Now  she  can  look 
for  quite  a  while  and  then  she  will  go  away  and  say  that 
she  has  -ecu  'Queen  Lil';"  and  her  eyes  fairly  bubbled 
with  fun. 

A  kinder  miiiI  1  have  never  seen.  She  always  re- 
minds <>ne  of  the  splendid  New  England  women  one 
sees  in  Vermont  living  to  a  great  age  with  not  a  line  of 
worry  in  the  calm  forehead, so  deep  and  solid  is  the  soul. 
I  recall  one  specific  instance  of  her  thoughtfulness 
for  the  feelings  of  others. 

The  foremost  music  publishing  house  in  Boston  has 
recently  issued  a  collection  of  Hawaiian  songs,  collected 
by  a  native  composer  who  gave  first  place  to  Aloha  Oe. 
Bui  he  has  not  been  so  just  in  other  instances,  ascribing 
to  others  several  songs  of  the  Queen. 

She  presented  me  with  her  own  album  of  her  songs, 
a  beautiful  volume  bound  in  velvet,  surmounted  by  her 
own  crest,  of  her  designing.  This  book  was  sent  to 
Queen  \  ictoria,  but  through  the  thieving  propensities 
of  a  servant,  did  not  reach  her.  When  recovered  it 
was  a  little  worn,  and  was  retained  by  the  composer  as 
li»i  own.  while  another  was  manufactured  for  her  royal 
friend  who  had  recently  entertained  her  at  Windsor. 
In  handing  the  book  to  me  she  told  me  of  this  and  also 
of  the  mistakes  of  the  compiler  of  the  collection  of  songs. 
I  was  indignant,  thinking  that  this  was  only  another 
intentional  slight,  but  the  Queen  smilingly  interrupted 
me  to  say  that  the  matter  was  of  no  consequence,  as, 
of  course,  the  truth  would  eventually  prevail.     She  had, 

■A2 


HAWAII  AND  THE  QUEEN 

however,  concluded  to  ask  one  of  her  friends  to  inform 
the  compiler  quietly  and  privately  of  his  errors,  in  a 
way  that  would  not  cause  him  any  public  chagrin. 

Among  her  friends  in  Honolulu  are  the  best  people 
there,  and  no  higher  class  Caucasian  people  are  any- 
where; and  among  them  she  is  known  as  a  woman  of 
high  ability,  splendid  character  and  spotless  life.  Such 
people  do  not  associate  with  pagan  idolaters,  and 
dissolute,  low,  drunken  women.  And  no  members  of 
that  branch  of  the  famous  Lee  family  of  Boston,  to 
which  the  Queen's  husband  belonged,  has  ever  married 
a  woman  of  the  low  character  described  or  ever  enter- 
tained such  people  in  their  own  homes. 

The  Queen's  home  in  her  own  country  is  one 
full  of  refinement,  good  taste  and  exalted  feeling.  All 
the  proof  needed  is  to  be  supplied  to  you  as  it  was 
to  me,  by  the  white  people  there  who  have  enjoyed  its 
hospitality  and  by  the  close  acquaintance  of  the  splen- 
did woman  who  presides  over  it. 

The  following  throws  an  interesting  light  upon 
what  I  have  said : 

On  page  264  of  Senator  Hoar's  "Autobiography 
of  Seventy  Years,"  occurs  the  Republican  platform 
which  he  wrote  in  1894.  In  it  is  the  sentence:  "No 
barbarous  Queen  beheading  men  in  Hawaii."  At  the 
bottom  of  that  page  and  on  the  top  of  the  one  succeeding 
the  Senator  says: 

"I  ought  to  explain  one  phrase  in  this  platform, 
which  I  have  since  much  regretted.  That  is  the  phrase 
'No  barbarous  Queen  beheading  men  in  Hawaii.1 
It  was  currently  reported  in  the  press  that  the  Queen  of 
Hawaii,  Liliuokalani,  was  a  semi-barbarous  person, 
and  that  when  Mr.  Blount,  Mr.  Cleveland's  commis- 
sioner, proposed  to  restore  her  government  .  .  .  she 
had  said  with  great  indignation,  'What,  is  no  one  to  be 
beheaded  ? '    .    .    . 

"That,  SO  far  as  I  knew,  had  never  been  contra- 
dicted and  had  obtained  general  belief. 

"I  ought  not  to  have  accepted  the  story  without 
investigation.      I     learned    afterward     from     undoubted 


AKOl   VI)    THE   WORLD   l\    NINETY   DAYS 

authority,  that  the  Queen  is  an  excellent  Christian 
woman;  .  .  .  and  thai  she  expended  her  scanty  income 
in  educating  and  caring  for  the  children  of  the  persons 
who  were  aoout  her  court  who  had  lost  their  own  re- 
sources l>\  the  revolution.  I  have  taken  occasion,  more 
than  once.  l<»  express,  in  the  Senate,  my  respect  for  her, 
and  m\   regret  tor  this  mistake'." 

Subsequent  personal  letters  between  the  Senator 
and  the  Queen  entirely  removed  the  misunderstanding. 

Washington  Place,  her  Honolulu  mansion,  is  a 
beautiful  home,  a  large,  white,  square  building  with 
ven   broad  verandas  above  and  below  that  entirely  en- 


Washington   Place  from   Street 

circle  it.  From  much  of  the  street,  the  house  can 
hardly  be  seen  because  of  the  dense  foliage  that  inter- 
vene-. 

As  I  advanced  rapidly  into  the  grounds  and  around 
the  Queen's  favorite  nook,  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
veranda,  I  heard  the  soft  sound  of  guitars  and  a  num- 
ber of  musical  voices  joined  in  slow,  strange,  melodic 
song.  I  burst  in  upon  them,  half  a  dozen  bare- 
footed young  girls,  seated  in  the  shade  of  spreading 
trees;    and    the    sound    ceased    as    if   I    had    been    an 


The  Queen  <il  Homi 


HAWAII  AND   THE  QUEEN 

apparition.  But  one  of  the  singers  knew  me,  and  in 
wondering  tones  she  called  to  the  Queen  "Hanai,"  the 
term  of  endearment  which  the  children  always  use  in 
addressing  her  in  their  own  home  if  they  are  alone. 

The  picture  on  the  preceding  page  shows  her  just 
as  she  is  to-day  when  in  repose. 

No  woman  or  man  could  have  carried  her  problems 
and  endured  her  experience  without  looking  at  least 
as  earnest  and  straightforward  as  she  in  this  view. 

It  should  he  said  that  in  no  picture  of  her  in  full 


The  Queen's  Favorite  Corner 

dress  COStume  thai    I   have  ever  seen  docs  she  appear  to 
advantage. 

Hut  her  position  required  full  dress  costume, 
upon  State  occasions;  and  as  she  appeared  at  such  limes 
she  has  been  obliged  to  he  pictured  to  the  world. 
Having,  also,  that  disregard  that  many  other  broad- 
minded    historical    personages    have   evinced    for   mere 


AROl    N7i    THE   WORLD   IS   NINETY  DAYS 

dress,  she  has,  perhaps,  too  often  relied  upon  the  advice 
of  others. 

Upon  learning  of  our  troubles,  she  immediately 
said  she  would  call  on  Mrs.  Chamberlin.  Thai  1  had 
to  decline,  promising,  however,  if  the  patient's  con- 
dition would  permit  we  would  come  to  Washington 
Place  and  there  remain.  In  ten  minutes  I  was  hurrying 
from  her  presence  with  her  physician. 

As  we  strode  along,  I  explained  the  illness,  and  he 
.it  once  concluded  that  we  had  to  deal  with  appendicitis. 


The  Royal  Hawaiian  Hotel 
At   the  dread   word    I   determined  to  fight  any  idea  of 
operating.      I    deemed    such    a   catastrophe   as   scarcely 
less  than  suicide. 

By  nine  in  the  evening  we  were  gratified  by  some 
easing  of  the  attacks  of  pain,  although  spasms  recurred 
with  every  five  minutes.  The  presence  of  a  friend 
enabled  me  to  visit  Washington  Place  for  a  short  half 
hour  of  consultation  with  the  Queen  and  then  I  hurried 
back.  As  1  returnee  1  I  entered  the  Royal  Hawaiian 
Hotel,  which  was  on  my  direct  route,  where  a  ball  was 

36 


O 

— -» 


Beside  the  Main  Gate 


The  North  Gate 


HAWAII  A ND   THE    (J I rE E X 

given  for  the  passengers  of  our  transport.  This  plaee  I 
found  to  be  distinctly  Hawaiian  in  character. 

Many  broad  verandas  made  ideal  places  for 
promenading  and  the  enjoyment  of  refreshments. 

On  reaching  the  Young,  by  accident  I  was  trans- 
ported to  the  roof,  where  I  found  a  wonderful  gar- 
den completely  filled  with  tropical,  growing  flowers. 
Never,  in  Southern  Europe,  even,  have  I  seen  a  house- 
garden  to  rival  it,  and  the  view  of  the  twinkling  city 
beneath,  and  the  moonlight  on  the  bay,  was  delightful. 
Surely,  I  should  walk  slower  in  a  month  if  I  there 
remained. 

Little  rest  was  there  for  either  of  us  that  night. 
Medicine  was  administered  at  frequent  intervals  and  I 
dared  not  trust  even  a  nurse. 

At  periods  we  discussed  the  situation.  I  inves- 
tigated the  swift  passenger  traffic  from  Honolulu  to 
China  and  Japan  and  found  that  in  a  week  or  so  we 
could  expect  a  boat  that  would  enable  us  to  arrive  in  the 
East  almost  as  soon  as  the  slow  moving  "Sherman." 
Or  we  could  relinquish  our  original  journey  and  pro- 
ceed no  farther.  By  this  course  we  could  remain  in 
these  waters  for  a  month  or  even  more  after  convales- 
cence began.  My  duty,  however,  said  to  go,  if  safe. 
If  the  "Sherman"  sailed  Sunday  evening  we  could  not 
continue  with  her.  That  was  first  to  be  settled  would 
she  start  Sunday?  And  if  she  did  not,  could  we  hope 
to  go  aboard  Mondav  night  ?  Surely  not,  unless  we  had 
a  better  stateroom,  because  the  hot  part  of  the  journey 
was  now  coming  and  Mrs.  Chamberlin  could  bear  far 
less  of  it  now  than  before  this  illness. 

Early  Sunday  morning  I  hurried  to  the  ''Sherman." 
She  would  not  sail  till  Monday  evening  at  six.  Thai 
gave  us  a  chance.  Was  a  better  stateroom  available.- 
There  was.  Upon  examination  I  saw  it  would  not  do, 
and   I   prepared  our  baggage  to  leave  the  ship. 

When  the  doctor  came  he  discovered  no  worse 
.symptoms  and  said  that  if  the  patient's  condition  re- 
mained as  at  first,  no  operation  would  be  needed  and 
he  concurred   thai   we    better  not   attempt    to   proceed 


1/ 


tOl   YD   THE   WORLD   l\   MM./)    DA  VS 


38 


HAWAII  AND   THE  QUEEN 

with  the  "Sherman."  All  day  we  were  anxious;  hut 
made  little,  if  any,  appreciable  progress.  With  the 
advent  of  friends  from  the  transport,  I  was  able  to  eat 
breakfast  and  lunch  at  the  Queen's,  upon  which  occasion 
I  was  fanned  by  a  little  black-haired,  barefooted,  native 
girl  who  stood  behind  my  chair.  The  Queen  prepared 
some  alligator  pears  for  my  delectation,  which  I  found 
to  taste  far  better  than  they  appeared.  The  part  that 
is  eaten  is  very  light  green,  a  color  that  obtains  in  none 
of  our  home  fruit  and  naturally  leads  to  strange  thoughts. 

Soon  she  took  me  about  the  place.  It  is  ideal. 
Coffee,  bread-fruit,  bananas,  oranges,  lemons,  growr  in 
abundance  all  about  the  house.  The  estate  of  Washing- 
ton  Place  must  cover  a  lot  some  three  hundred  feet  on 
the  street  and  five  hundred  feet  back.  The  main  gates 
are  in  the  centre  and  open  into  a  driveway  which  leads 
directly  to  the  middle  of  the  front  of  the  house  which 
looks  to  the  west. 

Beside  the  main  gate  on  the  right  as  one  would  enter, 
is  a  tall  flagstaff  from  which  still  flies  the  royal  flag  that 
denotes  the  Queen's  presence  in  the  city. 

Hundreds  of  tropical  plants  surround  the  lower 
veranda  and  give  it  with  their  many  colors  and  sweet 
perfume  the  air  of  a  conservatory,  while  the  driveway, 
except  in  the  centre,  is  banked  with  heavy  foliage  of 
rare  choice,  for  the  Queen  is  a  student  of  horticulture 
and  the  tropical  world  has  been  levied  upon  for  her 
flowers.  Except  directly  in  front  of  the  house,  the  whole 
property  is  a  flower  garden. 

Hut  it  is  in  her  fernery  that  the  Queen  takes  her 
heartiest  delight.  The  buildings  are  at  the1  rear  of  the 
estate.  One  is  crowded  with  rare  ferns  and  another 
with  choice  orchids.  Scores  of  I  he  rarest  varieties  are 
there,  each  with  a  history,  well  known  to  its  mistress, 
many  obtained  only  by  extended  search  and  at  great 
expense. 

At  three  in  the  afternoon,  alter  providing  safe 
company  for  Mrs.  Chamberlin,  the  Queen  sent  for  a 
covered  carriage,  and  with  her  ladv-in-wait ing  seated 
beside  the  driver,  the  Queen  and  I  behind,  we  rode  to 

39 


Uinrx/i  i in:  world  i\  vixety  days 


By  the  Sea 


The  Wayside  Pool 


I" 


HAWAII  AND   THE    QUEEN 

Waikiki  Beach,  where  she  has  several  beach  houses  and. 
further  inland,  a  large  estate.  On  this  drive,  I  found 
why  Hawaii  has  been  so  commonly  called  "The  Gar- 
den Spot  of  the  World."  It  is  one  great  garden  of 
tropical  leaves,  palms  and  flowers.  Almost  every  house, 
great,  small,  whether  indicating  wealth  or  poverty, 
was  hidden  in  the  midst  of  the  tropical  growth  that  sur- 
rounded it.  There  were  trees  even  in  the  business  sec- 
tion covered  with  millions  of  red  flowers,  white  flowers, 


The  Bridge 

purple,  blue.  There  were  beautiful  parks  with  waving 
palms,  pools  crossed  by  rustic  bridges,  cascades  of  rush- 
ing, dashing  streams. 

As  we  progressed  I  found  that  the  people  were 
cosmopolitan.  More  Japanese,  Chinese,  and  Americans 
are  to  be  seen  than  Ilawaiians.  But  of  them  all,  the 
children  are  most  interesting  and  the  most  interesting 
children  are  the  Japanese.  Here  they  can  be  found  just 
as  in  their  own  country. 

n 


AHOl   \1>    /'///."   WOULD   /  V   XIXETY  DAYS 


I 


From  Japan 


To  L.  McN.  &  Co.,  Chicago,  U.S.A. 

42 


HAWAII  AND   THE  QUEEN 

Note  the  little  Japanese  girls  on  the  lawn  by  the 
roadside  in  the  heart  of  the  city. 

The  plate  showing  the  boy  riding  on  the  board 
box  convinces  me  that  I  have  made  a  great  error  in 
keeping  it  so  long  without  forwarding  a  copy  to  a  certain 
firm  of  Chicago  pork  packers.  It  ought  to  be  good  for 
a  ham.  One  of  my  Kentucky  kodak  pictures  of 
General  Howard,  in  which,  accidentally,  appeared  the 


//.  M.  Queen  Liliuokalani 
with  her  Lady-in-W  aiting  and  Hawaiian  Secretary 

name  of  a  prominent  style  of  shoe  lias  been  lately  the 
cause  of  the  gift  of  a  handsome  pair  of  those  shoes  no, 
not  for  me,  who  took  the  picture,  but  for  General 
Howard. 

I  discovered  a  typical  Kanaka,  or  native  family. 
There  are  hundreds  similar  to  it  in  the  outskirts  of 
Honolulu.  In  a  climate  like  that  in  which  they  live, 
the  house  is  nnhnporhinl  excepl  when  there  are  storms. 

1:1 


i/.'m/  \/'   ////:  ii'"/;/./'  /\   xixety  days 


The  Kanaka 


The  Q  uee  n  at  Waikiki 

44 


HAWAII  AND  THE  QUEEN 

It  is  out  of  doors  that  the  people  are  to  be  found.  Here, 
as  in  the  far  East,  too,  the  pleasure  seeker  wanders 
abroad  at  night  and  sleeps  in  the  daytime  and  when  the 
moon  paints  in  silver  the  wide  bay  that  fronts  the  city, 
long  after  midnight  the  happy  laughter  of  scores  of 
bathers  reaches  the  casual  ear. 

I  made  a  picture  of  the  Queen  at  her  beach  cottages. 

As  is  readily  seen  the  beach  places  are  like  similar 
establishments  at  home  and  the  furnishings  of  these 
owned  by  royalty  are  but  little  better.     The  Queen's  in- 


Waikiki 

satiable  love  for  flowers,  however,  here  has  full  play. 
A  fringe  of  cocoariut  palms  runs  beside  the  sheet, 
from  which  the  estate  is  guarded  by  a  Broad  fence  thai  is 
sonic  seven  feet  high.  A  single  Japanese  guards  the 
little  property,  and,  al  I  lie  Queen's  suggestion  he 
climbed  a  palm  and  threw  down  a  number  of  cocoanuts, 
encased  in  their  inch-thick  green  shells  which  were 
gathered  in  ;i  large  sack  for  us.  From  here  several  miles 
of  the  beach  lay  under  our  eyes. 

i:» 


AKM   W    THE 


world  i\  xjnety  da  rs 


mm 


Native  Girls  in  Surf 


.  1  u  Expert 

it; 


HAWAII  A  XI)   Til  E  Q  ( '  E  E  X 

The    jolly    surf-riders     came    in    on    every    wave. 

I  was  crazy  for  a  swim.  The  heat  of  the  water  is 
always  about  two  degrees  less  than  the  temperature  of 
the  air  and  a  sea-bath  is  an  extended  experience  if  one's 
inclinations  are  all  that  need  be  consulted. 

I  could  not  spare  the  time,  however,  and  we  hurried 
to  the  Young,  where  the  "  Sherman  "quartermaster  urged 
us  to  rejoin  the  ship  and  made  so  many  promises  that 
he  fairly  won  me.       His  introduction  of  me  as  a  news- 


The  Cascades 

paper  man  a  moment  later,  however,  to  a  local  reporter 
almost  caused  open  warfare. 

Worse  symptoms  developing  Sunday  evening  re- 
sulted in  a  hasty  call  of  the  doctor  and  it  was  midnighl 
before  we  felt  secure.  The  remainder  of  the  night  was, 
though,  restful,  and  with  the  additional  strength  thus 
acquired  Mrs.  Chamberlin  early  began  a  struggle  to  go 
on  board  and  continue.  Believing  thai  she  would  suc- 
ceed I  hurried  to  the  "Sherman"  and  found  thai  the 
room  we  needed  was  placed  at  our  disposition.  I 
accepted. 

47 


I/.'"/    W<    THE   n  ORU)   IX   NINETY   h. 


I  YS 


As 


HAWAII  A XI)   THE    Q I 'E E X 

About  four-thirty  Mrs.  Chamberlin  was  placed  in  a 
rubber-tired  carriage  and  driven  slowly  to  Washington 
Place.     Here  we  had  an  hour  with  Her  Majesty. 

In  the  reception  room  is  a  marble  bust  of  the 
Queen's  brother.  King  Kalakaua.  The  picture  on  the 
table  behind  the  Queen  is  that  of  her  late  husband,  while 
the  branching  ornaments,  if  I  may  so  designate  them. 
are  the  "Kahili,"  the  rare  feather  symbols  of  the 
Hawaiian  monarchs.  I  recall  that  the  Queen  said  that 
one  of  the  golden  ones  was  made  from  feathers,  only 
two  of  which  grew  on  one  bird,  one  under  each  wing. 

The  piano  is  a  grand  in  style.  Off  the  music  room 
is  the  hallway  which  extends  through  the  centre  of  the 
house.     In  this  there  is  an  Angelus  for  the  children, 

The  library  is  across  the  hall  from  the  reception 
room . 

As  we  arose  to  go,  the  Queen  placed  "  leis"  or  ropes 
of  flowers  over  our  necks  and  around  our  head  coverings 
and  then  accompanied  us  to  the  carriage,  and  remained 
standing  in  the  centre  of  the  main  doorway  till  we 
reached  the  street.  As  we  turned  by  the  main  <rate,  she 
still  stood  there  waving  her  handkerchief  and  so  we 
passed  from  her  life. 

As  our  big  ship  picked  her  tortuous  way  out  of  the 
coral  harbor  and  turned  toward  the  red  setting  sun.  I 
stood  by  the  rail,  wrapt  in  reflection.  That  land  was 
the  land  of  perpetual  summer,  of  content,  of  rest,  of 
carelessness  and  indolent  enjoyment  of  everything 
which  man  loves  and  in  which  he  takes  delighl  excepl 
ambition  and  battle.  If  one  were  to  sit  down  and  write 
out  what  character  of  country  lie  would  like  in  Heaven, 
most  of  us  would  closely  approach  to  a  description 
of  Hawaii.  Here  are  a  people  who  are  lovers  of  music 
and  flowers  before  all  else.  They  live  like  improvidenl 
children.  They  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin.  All 
is  quiet  and  peace.  In  the  middle  of  the  day  all  the 
world  retires  to  sleep. 

The  drowsiness  fastens  upon  one.  The  perfumes 
and  the  sweet  sound  of  strange  voices  in  saddening 
cadence   with   the  soft    guitar  imprisons    the   will   and 

in 


.1//"/  „v/j    ////.    WORLD   IX   XIXETY  DAYS 


The  Lilies 


A  ow  .sua j)  it 
."•ii 


HAWAII  AND   THE  QUEEN 

decision  vanishes.  It  is  as  if  the  brain  were  paralyzed. 
The  quick,  restless  tread  of  the  busy  American  in  his 
own  town  becomes  the  slow,  careless  walk  of  the  people 


The  ( 'ocoanuts 


to  whom  this  fair  land  belonged.     All  hurrying 
caution  vanish.      No  longer  arc  the  doors  locked 
even  shut  are  they. 

51 


nd  all 

Not 


UHH   \l>    1111     WOULD   I  \     \  /  \  A."/ ')'   DA  VS 


The  Royal  Palm 


52 


HAWAII  AND   THE    QUEEN 

From  Christmas  to  Christmas  they  are  swung  wide 
to  all  the  world. 

Work  in  such  an  atmosphere!  Never!  One  can. 
One  never  does;  except  from  compulsion.  If  any 
who  read  this  are  through  with  struggling  against  the 
world,  let  them  go  to  Hawaii  without  further  delay. 
They  are  wasting  many  precious  hours  by  remaining 
elsewhere. 

"No   land   in   all   the   world    has   any  deep   strong 


Above  Honolulu 


charm  for  me  but  that  one;  no  oilier  land  could  so 
longingly  and  beseechingly  haunt  me  sleeping  and 
waking,  through  more  than  a  lifetime,  as  that  one  has 
done.  Other  things  leave  me,  but  it  abides;  other 
things  change,  but  it  remains  I  lie  same.  For  me  its 
balmy  airs  are  always  blowing,  its  summer  seas  flashing 
in  the  sun;  the  pulsing  of  its  surf  beat  is  in  my  ear;  I 
can  sec  its  garlanded  craigs,  its  leaping  cascades,  its  plumy 
palms,  bowing  by  the  shore;   its  remote  summits  floating 


IKnl   M>    I'll  I    ii  "/;//'   /  \    VINETY  DA  YS 


The  Palm 


The  Song  of  the  Lead 

54 


HAWAII  AND   THE  QUEEN 

like  islands  above  the  cloud  rack;  I  can  feel  the  spirit 
of  its  woodland  solitude;  I  can  hear  the  splash  of  its 
brooks;  in  the  nostrils  still  lives  the  breath  of  flowers 
that  perished  years  and  years  ago/' 

A  great  prose  poet  wrote  that,  although  probably 
he  was  never  before  so  designated.  It  is  a  classic. 
Who  wrote  it?  Find  it  in  the  song  of  the  man  who 
threw  the  lead  that  evening  to  see  that  we  were  not 
nosing  around  too  close  to  a  coral  reef  as  we  barely 
moved  through  the  narrow  channel  that  was  to  take  us 
out  into  the  wild  ocean. 

Over  the  seaman's  head  stood  the  imperturbable 
captain  on  the  bridge  where  he  could  catch  every  word, 
and  this  is  what  he  heard  ringing  out  over  the  waters: 


ni\n\%rJAf^^ 


Deep-nine-teen  And  a  Mark  ThreeAnd  a  Half  Twain  And  a  MarkTwain. 


CHAPTER   IV 


HONOLULU   TO  THE   MIDWAYS 

Once  free  of  Oahu,  we  turned  to  the  northwest. 
heading  for  the  Midway  Islands,  1168  miles  away. 
These  possessions  of  ours  lie  almost  in  a  direct  line  to 
Yokohama  from  Honolulu. 

Our  new  quarters  on  the  promenade  deck  offered 
much  improvement  over  our  former  ones.  The  room 
was  no  larger,  but  had  fifteen  feet  of  deck  in  front 
x>\'  it.  The  only  entrance  was  by  a  door  from  this 
deck.  There  were  also  two  large  windows  and  an 
adjustable  electric  fan  from  which  to  secure  such  fresh 
or  salt  air  as  was  available.  We  were  on  the  starboard 
side  as  before,  but  further  toward  the  stern.  The  door 
of  no  cabin  was  ever  closed  from  San  Francisco  to 
Manila,  except  for  the  first  one  or  two  days. 

As  a  rule,  there  was  no  attempt  to  exclude  the  con- 
tents  «>f  any  cabin  from  view,  except  while  dressing. 
Then  the  home-made  curtains  were  pinned  up.  We 
employed  a  thin  red  shawl  for  this  purpose. 

Upon  this  upper  deck  the  washing  of  the  decks  in 
the  dead  hours  of  the  night  became  more  of  a  nuisance 
than  before,  when  it  was  carried  on  over  our  heads. 
This  nightly  visitation  was  made  by  some  six  or  eight 
bare-legged  sailors  who  were  sure  to  take  turns  gaping 
into  the  open  windows  of  all  our  staterooms,  and  if  one 
saw  anything  that  was  particularly  interesting  he  shared 
bis  bad  fortune  with  those  of  his  companions  with  whom 
Ik-  was  on  good  terms. 

All  the  way  to  Honolulu  the  wind  had  blown  from 
the  southeast,  cooling  the  port  side.  If  that  wind  con- 
tinued until  Manila  was  reached,  our  new  cabin  would 
only  be  on  the  cool  side  as  far  as  the  Midways.  In 
arriving  at  a  decision  as  to  whether  we  would  or  not 
continue  on  the  "Sherman,"  this  matter  of  the  direction 

56 


HONOLULU  TO   THE  MIDWAYS 

of  the  wind  was  much  discussed,  but  never  to  my 
satisfaction. 

The  Queen's  fruit  was  in  a  sack  in  the  ice  rooms 
below.  Every  day  some  of  it  was  brought  to  us. 
Alligator  pears  almost  created  a  panic  at  our  table, 
and  only  one  could  be  induced  to  partake.  The  cocoa- 
nuts  were  received  differently.  They  were  not  ripe  for 
eating,  but  were  for  drinking.  There  is  always  one  eye 
of  a  cocoanut  that  is  easily  punctured.  The  others  are 
not.  Cocoanut  "milk,"  as  we  call  it  at  home,  is  not 
drunk  in  the  East.  It  is  considered  as  too  old.  In  the 
young  cocoanut  this  milk  is  entirely  colorless  and  is 
called  "water."  It  is  extensively  employed  as  a  mild 
cathartic,  and  is  much  less  rich  than  what  we  call 
"milk." 

When  the  cocoanut  is  ripe,  the  change  comes. 
Before  it  is  ripe  the  only  edible  part  of  the  fruit  is  a 
colorless  pulp  lining,  next  to  the  water,  of  a  thickness  of 
about  a  sixteenth  of  an  inch.  This  is  glutinous  in  tex- 
ture, palatable  and  liked  by  the  natives. 

The  first  day  out  from  Honolulu  the  sea  was 
the  heaviest  we  had  seen  and  there  was  more  seasick- 
ness in  which  we  did  not  join.  As  hoped,  the  wind 
was  on  our  side,  and  as  it  was  very  strong  the  day  was 
cool,  although  the  temperature  was  82  degrees.  That 
day  we  passed  Bird  Island,  a  solitary  rock. 

The  following  day  I  yielded  to  the  "siesta"  habit 
and  never  shook  it  off  till  I  was  in  the  Mediterran- 
ean. If  you  had  stepped  aboard  right  after  lunch  you 
would  have  found  many  of  us  asleep  in  our  steamer 
chairs,  in  all  sorts  of  nooks  and  positions.  The  rest  of 
this  traveling  city  were  in  the  staterooms;  except  the 
children.  They  were  the  only  people  aboard  who 
came  near  drowning.  Many  narrow  escapes  had  I  hey. 
The  most  perilous  time  for  them  was  when,  just  opposi li- 
the chair  of  a  sleeping  male  passenger,  they,  half  a  dozen 
strong,  joined  in  whistling  for  a  cow  to  get  oil'  I  lie  track. 
This  delightful  diversion  occurred  daily,  until  finally 
deck  sleeping  was  an  impossibility. 

There  was  no  barber  shop  aboard,  but  there  was 


i//"/  yj)  in/:  world  /.v  xi.x/riY  DAYS 

.t  man  chambermaid  \\lu>  said  he  was  a  barber,  and 
appointments  could  be  made  with  him  for  his  services 
;ii  one's  cabin. 

He  had  a  head  rest  that  would  screw  onto  the  back 
of  ;i  camp  stool,  the  only  chair  in  the  cabins,  and  as 
m;tv  be  imagined  the  things  he  did  to  some  of  us  can 
ha  rah   Ih-  described  in  temperate  language. 

An\  cabin  passenger  could,  by  signing  his  name 
opposite  tin-  hour  at  which  he  desired  to  bathe,  reserve 
tin-  bathroom  for  that  time  each  day. 


Warm 


The  chief  duties  of  Captain  Taggart,  the  Quarter- 
master, appeared  to  be  to 'play  cards  and  promenade 
with  the  ladies  who  best  liked  his  uniform.  He  was 
supposed  to  keep  everybody  good-natured  and  prevent 
social  friction.  Once  in  a  while  he  seemed  to  be  doing 
-•.me  work,  but  I  may  be  mistaken.  Oh,  yes,  he  used 
to  walk  around  and  look  into  the  staterooms,  "inspect 
tln-ni*'  at   11    \.\i.  each  day.      I  don't  wonder. 

On  the  fourteenth.  Thursday,  the  heat  struck  us. 
The  glass  mounted  to  86  degrees  and  we  began  to  see 

;,.s 


HONOLULU  TO   THE  MIDWAYS 

what  there  was  ahead.  At  times  there  was  absolutely 
no  air  stirring,  and  our  slow  speed  of  less  than  a  dozen 
miles  per  hour  produced  no  relieving  wind.  Then  the 
unaccustomed  wondered  if  he  could  survive  this  and 
worse  for  the  next  weeks.  For  Mrs.  Chamberlin  the 
effect  was  dangerous.  She  almost  gasped  for  breath. 
But  a  little  breeze  would  be  discovered  just  in  time  to 
prevent  disaster,  and  then  all  who  could  would  move  to 
that  part  of  the  boat  which  it  favored.  In  a  little  while 
that   would   die   down    and   then   would   begin   another 


Hot  !  I 

search  for  relief,  and,  if  found,  a  further  migration 
ensued,  unless  the  identity,  location  or  reality  of  the  new 
visitor  were  disputed,  as  was  often  the  ease.  Then 
each  followed  his  own  judgment,  and  the  ship  divided. 
These  expeditions  usually  occurred  half  a  dozen  times 
a  day.      Collars  were  discarded,  even  by  many  ladies. 

The  baby,  of  course  there  was  "the"  on<\  hied  a 
fairly  modest  costume,  as  we  ploughed  nearer  the  sun. 

Still  later  she  habitually  appeared,  in  the  next  ten 
days,  with  no  visible  attire. 


.I/.'"/    VI*    THE   WORLD   IX    MM.  IV   DAYS 

Some  gentlemen  refused  to  don  coats  or  even  vests, 
and  wore  negligee  shirts  that  left  the  chest  exposed. 
It  was  often,  From  here  to  the  Philippines,  a  light  for 
air.  N«>\\  commenced  the  sleepless  nights,  the  long, 
dark  hours  of  restlessness.  Had  il  not  been  for  the 
electric  Ian.  1  doubt  it'  Mrs.  Chamberlin  would  have 
reached  the  Philippines  without  further  serious  illness. 

Man\  of  the  passengers,  however,  found  it  dan- 
gerous to  employ  the  fan  at  all  while  they  slept,  so  harm- 
ful was  the  constant  draught. 

On  the  second  dav  out   I   recommenced  work.     It 


Hot  !  !  ! 


was  about  the  only  time  in  my  life  when  I  had  to  drive 
myself  to  labor.  Hut  1  was  compelled  to  do  it  here, 
and  the  task  became  more  and  more  irksome  the  further 
we  penetrated  the  tropics. 

On  the  fourteenth  a  sailor  caught  a  tired,  gull-like 
bird  which  had  alighted  upon  one  of  the  lifeboats. 
This  feathered  visitor  did  not  seem  to  have  much  fear  of 
man  and.  after  pecking  at  us  on  first  attempts  at  pet- 
ting him.  soon  ceased  any  resistance  and  allowed  all  who 
desired  to  stroke  his  coat.  Then  he  was  released,  but 
after  describing  a  single  circle  he,  to  our  surprise,  re- 

60 


HONOLULU   TO   THE  MIDWAYS 

turned  to  us  and  spent  the  night  aboard.  The  officers 
assured  me  that  as  a  rule  one  or  more  birds  nightly 
rested  their  wings  by  sleeping  aboard  after  their  long 
journey  from  the  nearest  land. 

Soon  after  midday  we  saw  an  apparently  helpless 
schooner  lying  across  our  path. 

That  reversed,  lowered  flag  meant  trouble  and  much 
excitement  for  us.  All  we  did  was  to  slow  down  to  about 
half  speed  and  move  nearer  to  her  so  that  she  could  be 


Kidston,  The  Best  Ever,  First  Officer 


hailed.  But  we  acted  with  rather  ill  grace,  it  seen  km  I 
to  me,  for  we  were  plainly  going  to  do  as  little  as  possible 
for  her,  and  those  of  the  officers  I  saw  appeared  angry  at 
the  delay  that  little  cockleshell  was  causing  us.  \\  hat 
right  had  she,  half  a  dozen  strong,  to  hold  up  a  leviathan 
of  the  deep  carrying  a  thousand  souls?  Mr.  Beecher's 
words  came  to  me  as  we  bore  toward  the  little  stranger: 
"As  ships  meet  at  sea,   a    moment    together,   when 


AHOl   VI)    THE   WORLD   M     VJXETY   DAYS 

words  of  greeting  must  l>e  spoken,  and  then  awav  into 
the  deep,  so  men  meet  in  this  world;  and  1  think  we 
should  cross  no  man's  path  without  hailing  him,  and,  if 
he  needs,  giving  Imn  supplies." 

Through  the  megapnone  we  asked  them  what  they 
w  anted. 

"We  have  lost  our  bearings,  compass  out  of 
order." 

1  think  we  were  all  disappointed  that  their  story 
was  not  more  harrowing.  The  captain  told  them  aboul 
where  Ihev  were  and  thev  started  for  Honolulu. 


•- 


■ 


Help 


The  fifteenth  was  the  last  day  before  the  Midway 
Islands,  and  four  days  from  Honolulu.  The  thermom- 
eter had  registered  82°,  78°,  86°  and  78°  in  these  four 
days,  and  we  had  had  nothing  yet  suggesting  a  storm 
a1  sea. 

Ship  life  was  now  well  adjusted.  We  had  decided 
whom  we  wanted  to  know  and  whom  we  preferred  to 
avoid.  No  mere  veneer  can  long  hide  the  true  wood 
on  shipboard.  There  are  too  many  eyes  and  there  is 
too  much  contact  to  admit  of  other  results.     The  true, 

62 


IIOXOIA'U'   TO   THE  MIDWAYS 


staunch,  reliable,  even-gaited  had  found  each  other, 
and  the  froth  was  no  longer  to  be  seen.  Each  day  the 
latter  circle  grew  smaller,  the  former  larger. 

Those  who  really  did  things  began  to  unbend  with 
the  finding  of  kindred,  appreciative  souls,  and  soon  one 
by  one  voices  that  could  sing  began  to  jolly  the  fellows 
who  looked  solemn  and  were  natural  comedians,  until 
they  permitted  themselves  to  be  known;  and  before  we 
knew  it,  there  was  an  evening  of  the  old  songs,  with  the 


Belongs  to  the  12th  Inf. 

four  parts  well  taken,  accompanied  by  the  violin  lien 
Holt,  The  Rosary,  Heidelberg,  Lead  Kindly  Light, 
Fiddle  and  I,  Robin  Hood,  the  famous  Scotch  songs. 
In  this  way  were  our  evenings  occupied  as  a  rule. 
On  this  last  night  before  land,  Dr.  Alee,  of  New  York 
City,  who  would  leave  us  at  the  Midways,  rounded  up  all 
the  available  voices  for  a  concert  under  his  direction. 
The  most  of  it  was  a  joke,  but  an  attempt  so  understood 

63 


.I/,'"/  XI)    I  III.    WORLD   IX   XINETY   DAYS 

w.i^  more  enjoyable  than  some  other  numbers  which 
were  offered  as  serious  attempts. 

Here  was  where  the  rank  crowd  had  to  succumb 
ami  ask  the  one  voice  aboard  please  to  sinjj  again;  and, 
ladv,  she  sans  and  lia«l  all  tin*  revenge  she  desired. 


u 


CHAPTER  V 


THE   MIDWAYS 

Saturday  morning,  at  seven,  the  sixteenth  of  July 
we  sighted,  dead  ahead,  a  strip  of  low,  level,  white  land 
that  just  barely  arose  above  the  horizon.  The  Midway 
Islands  were  in  sight. 

Nobody  aboard  had  ever  seen  these  lands.  All 
that  we  could  learn  was  that  they  furnished  a  wayside 
station  for  the  trans-Pacific  cable,  that  some  fifteen 
employees  of  the  cable  company  had  been  exiled  there 
for  approximately  a  year  and  had  nearly  starved,  that 
they  recently  had  been  relieved  by  the  United  States 
"Iroquois,"  and  that  a  physician,  some  marines  and  a 
score  or  so  of  carpenters  had  been  landed,  which  brought 


The  Midways  ten  miles  away 

the  total  population  to  seventy-five.  Since  the  discovery 
of  the  Islands,  no  civilized  visitors,  we  were  informed, 
had  ever  come  there  but  by  shipwreck,  except  during  the 
recent  governmental  survey,  when  the  cable  had  been 
laid  in  1903,  when  the  suffering  employees  had  been 
saved,  and  when,  in  the  past  sixty  or  ninety  days,  addi- 
tional building  material  or  supplies  had  been  left  by 
several  steamers. 

The  United  States  Army  Transport,  "Buford," 
upon  the  appeal  of  the  cable  company,  had,  we  were  told, 
endeavored    to    leave   supplies   to   save   the   famishing 

65 


ARoi  \  i>  THE  ii  "/,•/./<  /  \    \  i  m:  iv  i>.\  ys 

castaways  during  the  preceding  spring,  but,  owing  to 
rough  weather,  had  been  unable  to  make  a  landing, 
and  had  boxed  tin-  provisions,  mail,  etc..  thrown  them 
overboard  and  steamed  away  into  ;i  gathering  gale 
which  soon  arose  and  dashed  the  box  to  atoms  and 
entirely  destroyed  it>  contents. 

Our  orders  were  to  land  sonic  provisions  and  Dr. 
Alec,  who  was  under  contract  with  the  cable  company  to 
reside  on  the  islands  for  the  two  ensuing  years.  He 
would  relieve  Dr.  E.  Storror,  of  San  Francisco,  a  famous 
traveler,  who  was  aboul  concluding  a  six  months' en- 
gagement of  a  similar  nature.  We  were  not  to  depart 
until  our  errands  were  accomplished. 

Sand  [sland,  the  only  inhabited  island  of  the 
group,  is  located  in  Lat.  L28  degrees  13'  15"  North,  Long. 
177  devices  21'  30"  West.  It  is  956  miles  to  the  north- 
wesl  of  Honolulu,  close  t<>  a  straight  line  from  Honolulu 
to  Yokohama,  and  about  the  latitude  of  New  Orleans, 
Shanghai  and  Nagasaki.  It  is  some  TOO  miles  south  of 
San  Francisco,  and  350  north  of  Honolulu;  and  it  is 
not  far  from  half  way  between  San  Francisco  and 
Yokohama. 

'Idle  group  consists  of  two  islands.  Sand  Island  and 
Ma -tern  Island,  separated  by  about  a  mile  of  very  shallow 
water.  The  two  may  he  comprehended  within  a  circle, 
the  radius  of  which  is  only  two  miles.  They  lie  inside 
of  and  only  an  eighth  of  a  mile  from  a  most  remarkable 
coral  reef  over  fifteen  miles  in  length,  and  which  forms 
almost  a  complete  circle.  The  ends  of  this  piece  of  coral 
continue  the  formation  of  the  circle  to  within  three  miles 
of  each  other  on  the  west,  when  they  halt  and  leave  a 
gateway  of  that  width  through  which  the  islands  may  be 
reached.  This  entrance,  however,  so  far  as  the  pur- 
poses of  navigation  are  concerned,  narrows  to  a  width 
of  about  one-third  of  a  mile,  and  even  then  affords  only 
between  four  and  five  fathoms  of  water.  The  remainder 
of  the  three  miles  supplies  only  two  or  three  fathoms. 
Tlii-  enormous  piece  of  coral  is  substantially  solid  except 
for  an  interval  of  about  five  hundred  feet  on  the  southern 
line,    through    which    runs   a    narrow   channel   by   which 

6G 


Til E    Mil)  \VA  YS 


small  boats  may  enter  the  circle  when  the  weather  is,  as 
the  chart  says,  "fine."  At  no  other  place  can  this 
fifteen  miles  of  coral  be  pierced. 

That  part  of  the  southern  line  lying  to  the  west  of 
the  five  hundred  foot  break  in  the  coral  is  always  sub- 
merged, to  the  depth  of  some  two  or  three  feet  at  low 
tide.     At   high  tide  the  water  continuously  breaks  on 


Fifteen  Miles  of  ( 'oral 

this  section  of  the  reef.  On  the  other  hand,  I  lie  re- 
mainder of  the  reef  rises  above  low  tide  from  ten  l<> 
fifteen  inches,  and  at  such  time  one  may  walk  on  it  from 
end  to  end. 

Seward  Roads  is  the  name  given  to  the  third  of  ;i 
mile  wide  channel,  which,  when  inside*  the  reef,  expands 
into  Welles  Harbor,  an  anchorage  basin  some  half-mile 

(!7 


I/,'"/  W    I  III.    WORLD   IS     NINETY   DAYS 

in  diameter.  As  its  depth  is  only  about  five  fathoms, 
none  except  small  craft  can  take  advantage  of  it,  and 
that  in  l>ut  the  best  weather;  and  even  then  the  careful, 
experienced  mariner  would  see  no  safe  berth  in  case  of 
;m\  unexpected  current  <>r  other  sudden  happening. 

Sand  [stand  is  one  mile  and  three-fourths  long,  and 
will  average  a  width  of  some  three-quarters  of  a  mile. 
Its  highest  point  is  forty-three  feet  above  the  sea  level, 
and  it  averages  an  elevation  of  less  than  ten  feet. 

The  greatest  length  of  Eastern  Land  is  one  mile 
and  a  fourth;  its  width  less  than  that. 

(  Kir  white  ship,  convoyed  by  hundreds  of  sea  birds, 
continued  her  course  toward  the  northwest  until  we  were 
about  opposite  the  five  hundred  foot  entrance  for  small 
boats.  Then  we  followed  the  reef  until  opposite 
Seward  Roads,  where  we  were  to  lie,  adrift,  perhaps 
two  miles  from  the  reef. 

Both  islands  lay  in  full  sight.  Sand  Island  was  a 
level  patch  of  white  sand  with  here  and  there  a  small 
circular  mound  that  appeared  to  be  covered  with  green 
growth.  On  the  northern  shore  were  to  be  seen  maybe 
a  dozen  dark  red,  one-story,  box-like  buildings,  and  two 
larger  structures,  one  of  them  yet  in  the  skeleton,  above 
which,  from  a  tall,  white,  glinting  staff,  floated  the  Stars 
and  Stripes,  flashing  in  the  bright  sunlight. 

Eastern  Island  was  entirely  level,  with  no  mounds. 
It  was  covered  with  a  long,  rank,  green  grass.  To  the 
east  of  this  the  water  was  of  a  very  light  green,  such  as, 
we  were  informed,  usually  accompanies  coral.  Here 
and  there,  between  our  berth  and  the  white  sand  of  the 
larger  island,  were  rivers  of  similar  shade. 

While  we  awaited  the  arrival  of  three  small  sail 
boats  which  were  some  half-mile  distant  when  we 
stopped  our  engines,  many  were  entertained  by  watch- 
ing large  fish  that  were  estimated  to  measure  two 
or  three  feet,  us  they  crept  along  the  bottom,  through  six 
or  seven  fathoms  of  water. 

Just    here    my  arm   was  pulled.     Tom    Heinatz  — 
"Buttons"     the  kind,  thoughtful  little  fellow  who  did 
our  errands,  informed  me  that  there  was  a  shark  on  a 

68 


— ■»* 


^ 
<~>. 


Co 

1 

a- 

Co 


THE    MIDWA  Ys 

hook  at  the  stern  and  "the  men"  wanted  me  to  take  a 
picture  of  it.  Surely  enough,  there  in  the  water,  over 
the  propeller  and  not  more  than  a  foot  from  the  surface, 
was  a  struggling,  madly  fighting  shark,  held  fast  on  a 
hook  through  her  jaw.  She  was  about  six  feet  long. 
Accompanying  her  were  two  babies,  not  over  eighteen 
inches  long,  who  swam  about  their  mother  in  evident 
fright  and  dismay,  and  when  she  was  hauled  clear  of  the 
water,  they  peeped  up  after  her,  as  if  determined  to  share 
her  fate  as  far  as  thev  could.     A  noose  was  let  down  and 


The  Shark 

fastened  over  the  victim's  tail,  and  then  she  was  hauled 
to  the  rail  and  Captain  Chase  asked  to  shoot  her.  Just 
as  he  pulled  the  trigger,  a  close-cropped,  bullet-like 
head  was  thrust  through  a  port-hole  not  six  inches  from 
the  trajectory  of  the  bullet.  Chase's  face  was  as  pale 
as  death.  The  shark  half  slopped  its  spasm.  A  second 
shot  rang  out,  and  it  hung  limp,  never  more  lo  move. 

One  of  the  sailboats  Prom  the  island  was  alongside. 
In  ten  minutes,  all  three  had   lines  aboard.      The  most 

6!» 


IROl    VI)    I  HI'   WORLD   IS   NINETY   DAYS 

uatt\  <>t'  them  was  while  and  manned  by  a  crew  of 
marines,  all  dressed  in  white  duck.  Over  the  side 
climbed  ;i  rather  small,  explorer-appearing  man,  dressed 
in  drab  duck  and  a  white  helmet.  Bronzed  was  he, 
thin  and  wiry,  soft  of  speech,  calm,  collected,  and  bear- 
ing all  the  earmarks  of  a  globe-trotter,  who  had  sought 
m-civI>  in  all  the  hidden  recesses.  It  was  Dr.  Storror. 
It'  one  of  our  boats  went  ashore,  I  had  been  prom- 
ised   passage.     Our   Quartermaster    had    been  told   at 


Dr.  Storror  comes  Aboard 


Honolulu  that  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  use  any  of 
our  boats  in  the  landing  of  the  new  doctor  and  the  stores 
we  carried  for  the  islands.  The  marines  assured  him, 
when  they  came  aboard,  that  the  three  boats  alongside 
could  readily  take  to  shore  all  we  had  to  leave.  We 
ought  not  to  delay  a  great  transport  for  the  pleasure  of 
two  or  three. 

I  therefore  felt  that  there  was  small  chance   of  my 

7<i 


THE  MIDWAYS 

setting  foot  on  land,  which  was  a  bitter  disappointment. 
In  fifteen  minutes,  however,  my  view  of  the  world  was 
altered  by  a  whisper  from  Kidston,  the  big  mate,  a 
splendid  fellow,  that  he'd  sink  the  three  boats  that 
had  come  out  from  the  island  if  he  loaded  onto  them  all 
the  stores.  Then  Captain  Van  Deusen,  A.C.,  Captain 
Chase,  and  Surgeon  Snoddy  joined  us,  and  one  by  one  we 
clambered  down  the  threshing,  flying  rope  ladder  on 
the  starboard  side,  and  sprawled  into  the  tossing  life- 
boat No.  1,  falling  over  bananas,  watermelons,  boxes 
and  trunks.  The  boat  was  hurled  hither  and  thither; 
the  cargo  leaped  in  all  directions;  the  Paymaster,  antici- 
pating an  involuntary  wetting,  loosened  his  shoes  so 
that  he  could  remove  them  quickly;  one  of  the  mates, 
sitting  high  up  on  our  stern,  bawled  some  red-hot  re- 
marks that  fairly  scorched  the  air — to  the  effect  that 
there  was  no  -  -  tiller  aboard  and  when  he 

was  answered  that  no  tiller  could  be  found   on   the  - 

ship,  he  was  as  striking  a  picture  of  disgust  as  can 


be  well  imagined.  He  started  to  express  his  feelings 
in  words  that  fairly  fought  for  exit,  but  a  glance  at  scores 
of  women  leaning  over  far  above  him  warned  him,  and 
after  a  savage  "Aw!"  those  on  board  heard  no  more. 
They  only  saw  that  he  pounded  the  rail  with  huge 
clenched  fist  in  impotent  rage  and  turned  away  from  the 
transport.  We  who  were  nearer  heard  him  direct  to 
the  distant  horizon  the  remainder  of  what  lie  had  in- 
tended to  say  to  the  sailors. 

To  add  to  the  fun,  it  was  discovered  that,  owing  to 
leakage,  there  was  almost  as  much  danger  of  becoming 
wet  from  within  as  from  without,  and  the  Quartermaster 
and  the  giant  Van  Deusen  wTere  soon  bailing  as  hard  as 
they  could,  but  with  little  sign  of  progress.  The  former 
lost  his  hat,  which  sailed  far  astern  amidst  a  gleeful 
chorus  from  all  the  kids  aboard  the  big  ship  that  lowered 
so  far  above  us.  Our  mate  did  some  more  bawling. 
Another  jawed  back  from  the  transport,  the  marines' 
sail  boat  pounded  into  our  stern,  the  transport  whistled 
and  shrieked  till  we  were  nearly  deafened,  a  huge  wave 
sloshed  all  over  us,  a  watermelon  Mew  into  I  lie    Doctor's 

71 


.1//"/    VI)    THE   WORLD   l\   XINETY   DAYS 

lap  From  the  other  end  of  the  boat,  ;i  hundred  messages 
were  shouted  at  us  From  those  above,  and  we  started. 

Before  we  were  rowed  very  far,  we  entered  the 
strangesl  shade  of  water  1  had  ever  seen.  Il  ceased  l<> 
look  like  water,  as  I  lia<l  known  it.  It  was  of  a  grayish 
green,  very  light,  lighter  in  shade  than  any  before  noted. 
This  obtained  on  all  sides,  almost  as  far  as  one  could  sec 
with  the  unaided  eye. 

Accompanying  the  five  of  us  who  were  rowed  to  the 
shore  were  a  huge  shark  and  beautiful  birds.  These 
latter  frequently  sailed,  for  seconds  at  a  time,  within 
reach  of  my  hand.  Then  they  would  go  further  for- 
ward and  elide  along  at  the  same  level.  These  birds 
had  a  spread  of  wing  that  would  measure  probably 
three  feet,  were  clear  white  on  the  back  and  upper 
feathers  of  the  wing,  and  of  a  nile  green  undervesl 
which  shaded  into  a  delicate  sky  blue  at  the  tips  of  the 
wing  and  tail.  Upon  one  occasion  a  bird  of  exactly 
these  colorings,  but  of  fullv  twice  the  dimensions  given 
remained  for  perhaps  a  full  minute  above  the  centre  of 
the  boat  at  an  elevation  of  less  than  three  feet  above  our 
heads. 

In  two  hours  we  reached  a  soft,  level,  sandy  beach. 
Here  we  parted.  All  but  myself  went  up  to  the  little 
bird-cage  houses,  while  I  hurried  out  into  the  interior, 
to  look  for  albatross  bones,  which  Dr.  Storror  had  in- 
formed me  were,  with  some  feathers,  the  only  curiosities 
the  [dace  could  afford. 

The  Japanese  bird  catchers  had,  some  time  since. 
descended  upon  the  Island  in  the  nesting  season,  and 
slaughtered  thousands  and  thousands  of  birds  which  here 
annually  hatched  their  young.  These  marauders  stripped 
their  victims  of  their  beautiful  coats  and  left  their  bones 
in  piles  to  whiten  in  the  sun. 

Substantially  the  whole  of  Sand  Island  lay  before 
me.  It  was  of  pure,  white  sand,  the  glare  from  which 
was,  under  the  full  sun  of  the  noon  time,  exceedingly 
painful  to  the  naked  eye.  I  could  see  no  blade  of  grass 
or  any  sort  of  vegetation  upon  the  entire  land  except 
where,  in  perhaps  ten  instances,  in  the  square  mile  and 

72 


THE  MIDWA  YS 

a  fourth  of  the  island's  surface  there  were  mounds  of 
sand  fairly  covered  with  a  green,  stunted  growth 
which  appeared  to  he  a  dwarf  magnolia  reaching  to  a 
height  of  three  or  four  feet.  These  hills  are  plainly 
seen  in  some  of  the  pictures. 

Hardly  had  I  traversed  fifty  yards  from  the  boat 
when,  encircling  one  of  these  mounds,  I  came  upon  the 
blackest  Chinaman  I  ever  saw,  engaged  in  drawing 
water.  He  greeted  me  pleasantly.  I  asked  where  the 
bones  were.  He  pointed  to  the  highest  sand  hill  on  the 
island,  some  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  and  said  that  just 
before  I  reached  there  I  would  find  "plenty  bone."  As 
I  walked,  my  feet,  at  each  step,  sunk  into  the  sand  deeper 
than  the  sole,  and  progress  was  difficult  and  tiresome. 
A  distinct  and  unnatural  downward  and  backward  pres- 
sure of  each  foot  was  needed  to  ensure  progress.  There 
could  be  no  doubt  of  the  composition  of  the  island. 
Every  grain  of  it  was  coral.  It  was  almost  as  soft  as 
talc,  pure  white,  and  the  hand  would  readily  sink  six 
inches  into  it  at  any  point. 

Ahead  of  me  and  on  either  side,  perhaps  two  hun- 
dred yards  distant,  were  black  specks  in  the  sand.  They 
were  the  albatross.  Some  of  them  were  resting  on  their 
bodies,  some  stood  bolt  upright.  Could  I  secure  a 
picture  that  would  show  them  plainly  ?  I  set  myself  to 
the  task.  Directly  over  my  head,  and  on  my  right,  and 
three  feet  in  front  of  my  face  flew  one  of  the  green- 
breasted  birds  before  mentioned,  with  white  neck,  red 
beak  and  black  eyes.  At  no  time  were  they  more  than 
five  or  six  feet  away.  I  thought  them  friendly  and  yet, 
in  my  ignorance  of  their  habits,  I  did  not  feel  assured  of 
their  action  if  I  were  to  offend  them,  which  I  might 
unwittingly  do,  so  I  discouraged  too  close  companion- 
ship, which  was  often  attempted  by  them.  I  feel  sure 
that  they  would  all  have  lighted  upon  me  had  1  dared  to 
allow  it.  But  from  my  shoulder  or  my  head  they  would 
have  been  within  pecking  distance  of  my  eyes. 

At  almost  every  footfall  1  threw  up  some  pieces  of 
coral,  usually  white,  or  some  scattering  and  broken  bones 
of  small   dimensions.       My  albatross   friends,   when    I 


Altol  \1>    THE   WORLD   IS   NINETY   DAYS 

approached  within  a  distance  of  fifty  feet,  showed  no 
evidence  of  disturbance.  When  I  came  nearer,  those 
which  were  nestling  in  the  sand  arose  and  turned  away 
;i^  if  prepared  for  instant  flight. 

They  would  turn  their  heads  to  watch  me  as  I  tried 
to  approach  them  from  different  directions. 

The  standing  ones  usually  increased  the  distance 
between  us  b)  ten  or  fifteen  feet  of  toddling,  awkward, 
droll  walking.  They  were  all  of  about  the  same  height, 
three  feet,  with  dark  brown  feathers  on  the  upper  parts 
of  the  body  and  wings,  and  white  breasts.  The  neck 
was  white.  The  body  was  too  long  to  be  in  good 
proportion  with  the  short  legs.  The  birds  were  as  un- 
gainly as  a  Tennessee  buzzard.  At  my  attempt  to 
approach  nearer,  one  stood  quietly  till  I  secured  several 
views  at  twenty-five  feet:  but  he  flew  with  wide  wings 
when  I  tried  closer  proximity. 

Satisfied,  I  resumed  my  search  for  the  bones.  No 
mound  of  them  did  I  find,  only  three  or  four  thigh  bones, 
perhaps  a  foot  in  length,  of  snowy  whiteness.  With 
several  of  these  in  my  pockets,  and  a  large  sea  shell 
in  either  hand.  I  clambered  up  the  sand  mound.  This 
was  the  one  that  provided  the  highest  point  on  the  island 
forty-three  feet  above  the  sea.  The  mound  proper 
must  be  fifteen  feet  above  the  surrounding  sand. 

To  the  westward,  perhaps  two  hundred  yards  away 
and  some  fifty  yards  from  the  sea,  were  several  small 
mounds,  surmounted  by  rude  crosses  and  boards, 
leaning  in  different  directions.  I  knew  that  here  these 
lonely  men  buried  their  dead.  A  more  desolate  place 
one  could  scarcely  suggest. 

As  I  walked  near  the  graves  I  noted  that  they  were 
probably  six  m  number  and  that  they  were  decorated 
with  huge  sea  shells  and  bouquets  of  beautiful  branching 
coral. 

There  was  nothing  but  the  rough  crosses,  the  white, 
desolate  sands,  the  great,  boundless  ocean  and  the  wild 
sea  birds  which  perch  themselves  upon  the  crosses  in 
ignorance  of  their  sad  story. 

Upon    retracing    my    way    I    found    myself    within 

71 


The  Highest  Point 


Only  the  Frozen  Flowers  of  the  Great  Sea 


y, 


Albatross  fifteen  feet  away 


Wonder  if  I  better  move? 


THE  MIDWAYS 

fifteen  feet  of  an  albatross.  In  a  moment  I  had  his 
picture.  Then  something  flashed  through  my  mind 
that  I  had  last  seen  when  I  was  studying  intermediate 
geography.  It  showed  a  man  on  a  desert  island  in  the 
Pacific  engaged  in  capturing  the  albatross. 

Could  I  catch  the  one  who  stood  quietly  looking  at 
me,  only  a  few  yards  distant  ?  What  would  he  do  if  I 
ran  at  him  ? 

I  moved  a  bit  nearer.     He  still  stood. 

But  when  I  took  another  step  he  pursued  a  like 
policy. 

Then  I  charged,  loaded  down  as  I  was  with  sea 
shells,  coral  branches,  bones,  three  or  four  packages  of 
camera  films,  a  camera  and  an  overcoat.  To  my  sur- 
prise he  turned  toward  me,  straightened  back,  spread 
his  wings  and  snapped  at  me  with  his  long  bill.  The 
sound  could  have  been  readily  heard  fifty  feet.  His 
attitude  altered  mine.  I  confess  I  was  in  doubt  as  to 
how  to  proceed.  I  did  not  know  how  badly  he  could 
injure  me;  recollections  of  broken  bones  inflicted  by 
the  blows  of  the  wings  of  an  angry  goose  came  to  me. 
Here  was  a  bird  twice  as  large,  of  whom  I  knew  nothing, 
surrounded  by  a  dozen  of  his  kind  and  I  was  all  alone, 
unarmed.  While  I  was  making  my  decision,  the  bird 
retained  his  belligerent  attitude  at  a  distance  of  not  over 
two  yards.  I  decided.  The  shells  and  coral  were 
dropped;  oft*  came  the  camera  and  the  rain  coat;  my 
albatross  bones  flew  in  various  directions  as  did  my  rolls 
of  films,  and  I  reached  for  the  writhing  neck.  A  pinch 
from  the  bird's  bill  and  a  scratch  from  a  sharp  claw 
were  all  I  secured.  He  made  no  effort  to  beat  me  with 
his  wings,  and  I  fairly  pounced  upon  him.  There  was 
a  mad  whirr  of  wings,  a  few  scratches,  half  a  dozen  bites, 
but  no  real  damage  and  I  held  the  bird  by  his  two  wings 
and  neck  and  hurried  back  to  town. 

All  were  incredulous  when  my  story  of  the  birds  was 
related,  but  when,  at  my  suggestion,  the  paymaster 
attempted  to  catch  one  of  the  black  specks  in  the  sand 
which  I  pointed  out  to  him  and  soon  had  one  under  either 
arm,  my  word  was  reinstated. 

At  the  house  at  which  J   found   myself    reside    Mr. 


IROl   W   THE   WORLD   !\    XIXETY  DAYS 


I    )     , 


fe*JMk.*itt' ** 


///  the  <  'entre  of  the  Town 


■"-•s. 


The  Cable  Office 


76 


THE  MIDWA  vs 

and  Mrs.  Colley.  The  former  was  the  superintendent 
of  the  cable  station.  They  had  emptied  their  larder 
for  us.  There  were  all  sorts  of  things  to  -eat  and  drink, 
but  we  declined  to  dine,  on  the  theory  that  if  we  accepted 
we  would  surely  eat  everything  they  had.  The  things 
they  gave  us  to  drink,  however,  were  too  tempting  for 
such  self-denial. 

There  are  only  the  half  a  dozen  completed  build- 
ings on  the  island — the  box  cottages,  say  twenty  by  ten 
feet,  one  story,  all  painted  a  dark  red,  to  which  I  before 
referred.  In  these  dwell  or  work  the  fifteen  officers  and 
employees  of  the  cable  company.  The  sixty  marines, 
carpenters  and  general  helpers  reside  in  tents  or  rude 
shacks  made  of  canvas,  oil  cans  and  boxes.  A  number 
of  buildings  are  now  in  process  of  construction.  The 
principal  ones  are  a  cable  office  and  a  residence  for  the 
superintendent.  These  will  be  about  25x50,  two  stories 
in  height.  Then  there  will  be  a  mess  room  and  quarters 
for  the  general  employees,  a  house  for  the  Chinese  cooks 
and  house  servants,  a  w^ater  tank  and  a  place  for  ship- 
wrecked mariners  or  other  chance  visitors.  I  was 
amused  to  notice  that  the  sand  around  the  present  cable 
office  was  paved  with  hundreds  of  carefully  laid  brown 
glass  bottles,  most  of  which,  if  not  all,  I  am  glad  to  state, 
were  labeled  "White  Rock." 

To  the  surgeon's  inquiry  for  feathers,  a  marine 
offered  twenty  tail  feathers  of  the  boatswain  bird 
for  ten  dollars.  These  feathers  were  fully  fifteen  inches  in 
length,  red  and  white  on  a  black  quill.  They  were  less 
than  half  an  inch  wide  at  the  larger  end  where  they  were 
white  for  the  first  three  inches,  from  which  they  tapered 
to  a  needle  point.  We  compromised  for  half  price.  1 1 
is  never  necessary  to  kill  the  birds  for  these  feathers;  a 
reach  in  the  air  or  to  one's  shoulder  or  hat  catches  the 
bird  and  two  slight  pulls  release  the  feathers  which  soon 
grow  again. 

It  was  only  at  this  time  that  I  realized  the  beauty 
of  the  water.  I  had  been  so  occupied  that  I  had  given 
no  attention  to  the  sea.  But  now  that  the  hurry  was 
past,  I  saw  that  it   was  the  sea  that   would   furnish   the 


ih'ol.xn   THE   \vm;i.l>   l\  NINETY  DAYS 


Captain   Taggart  leaves  the  Watermelom 


All  ready  to  leave 


THE   MIDWA  YS 

principal  memory  of  this  wonderful  place  that  the  after 
years,  if  there  were  any,  would  bring  to  me. 

I  stood  within  almost  a  complete  circle  of  coral. 
The  diameter  of  the  circle  was  six  miles.  Imprisoned 
within  the  space  was  sea  water  so  shallow  and  so  translu- 
cent as  really  to  offer  no  obstruction  to  a  clear  view  of 
the  coral  sands  beneath.  The  effect  was  the  most 
wonderful  sight  I  ever  beheld  or  expect  to  see.  The 
water  did  not  seem  to  be  water.  The  only  thing  to  which 
I  am  yet  able  to  compare  what  I  saw  is  the  appearance  of 
metal  melting  hot  in  a  crucible,  upon  whose  surface  are 


The  Japanese  Bird  Catchers 

mingled  shades  of  green  and  blue.  The  effect  of  being 
upon  an  island  surrounded  by  a  sheet  of  metal  was  per- 
fect and  convincing.  The  color  of  the  sheet  was  so 
elusive  and  so  composed  as  to  baffle  my  descriptive 
sense.  But  to  those  familiar  with  the  wonderful  beauties 
of  molten  metal,  I  think  my  idea  will  be  plain.  The 
green,  which  was  the  predominant  color,  was  many 
shades  lighter  than  any  other  salt  water  I  have  ever 
viewed — and  I  live  by  the  great  Atlantic. 

Before  seeing  this  water  at  the  Midways    I    would 
not  have  believed  there  could  be  such  a  scene.      Had   I 

79 


Ai;<>(  \i>  the  WORLD  l\  ninety  days 

been  shown  an  exacl  reproduction  of  it  I  should  have 
considered  that  the  painter  had  grossly  exaggerated. 
But  it  is  there  and  from  what  I  can  learn  of  coral  for- 
mation elsewhere  I  gather  that  there  is  no  parallel  to  it, 
for  there  seem  to  be  no  similar  conditions  which  alone 
could  produce  such  an  astounding  result. 

Propelled  by  a  strong  wind  that  blew  directly  on 
our  l»;u-ks,  we  sailed  to  the  transport  in  less  than  an  hour. 
The  paymaster  mounted  the  ladder  with  my  albatross, 
and  was  at  once  the  centre  of  a  wondering  throng,  who, 
you  may  be  sure,  gave  the  bird  plenty  of  room  when  he 
had  been  hitched  by  one  leg  to  a  windlass. 

A  number  of  prolonged  conversations  with  Dr. 
Storror  disclosed  much  that  may  interest. 

Four  wrecked  barks  are  now  gradually  grinding  to 
atoms  upon  the  coral  sands  of  the  Midways.  Nobody 
knows  aught  of  their  names,  nationality,  or  career. 

For  years,  but  how  long  is  unknown,  the  group  has 
been  visited  by  Japanese  bird  catchers.  Lately  they 
have  been  forbidden  a  landing,  and  it  is  now  illegal  for 
anybody  to  destroy  any  bird  on  the  land.  Some  pictures 
which  1  obtained  from  Commander  Pond  show  what 
they  looked  like  and  what  they  did. 

The  worst  circumstances  surrounding  this  vocation 
are  the  starvation  of  the  young,  which  necessarily  follows 
the  death  of  their  parents,  upon  whom  they  are  entirely 
dependent  for  food;  and  the  cruel  maiming  of  many  in 
their  successful  struggle  to  escape. 

Clouds  of  flies  pester  the  Midway  inhabitant. 
Their  prevalence  is  ascribed  to  the  visiting  bird  de- 
stroyers. 

The  temperature  never  exceeds  86  degrees  Fahr. 
nor  descends  below  58  degrees,  and  the  nights  are  always 
eool. 

The  glowing  sand  is  exceedingly  painful  to  the 
unaccustomed  eye  and  is  so  persistent  that  only  glasses 
fitted  with  side  nets  effect  relief.  At  the  end  of  a  few 
weeks,  however,  the  glasses  may  be  dispensed  with 
except  when  high  winds  prevail,  when  the  flying  sand 
pervades  everything. 

80 


More  Bird  Catchers 


Acres  of  Bird  XL-ins 


More  Bird  Coats 


And  More  of  The 


in 


THE   MIDWAYS 


The  coral  reef  is  of  a  dark  red  color,  from  ten  to 
fifteen  feet  in  width  and  very  irregular  in  formation. 
For  much  of  this  last,  erosion  may  be  largely  account- 
able. When  the  tide  reaches  the  potholes  in  the  coral  it 
is  often  alive  with  many  imprisoned  inhabitants  of  the 
deep. 

Reading  matter  on  the  island  is  very  limited, 
confined  to  about  a  dozen  standard  medical  books  and  a 
number  of  such  paper-covered  books  as  are  often  carried 
in  the  box  of  a  marine.  A  subscription  of  $25  per  year 
has  now  been  made  to  the  -     -  Library  in  San  Francisco 


Investigating  the  Dog 

which  will  provide  twenty-five  books  per  year,  of  which 
each  contributor  may  choose  three  in  advance. 

Strange  to  say,  at  a  depth  of  only  four  feet  from  the 
surface,  pure,  fresh  water  was  found  in  apparently 
permanent  abundance. 

The  tides  are  very  low,  averaging  .87  of  a  foot  with  a 
maximum  record  of  2  ft.  1  in. 

The  famine  of  this  last  springtime  was  very  severe. 
When  the  "Buford"  failed  to  relieve  the  inhabitants, 
there  remained  for  provisions  only  sonic  rice,  pickles, 
jam,  and  a  small  bit  of  flour.      For  a   long  time  all   had 

81 


AKOl    \l>    THE   WORLD   IS   NINETY  DAYS 

been  on  half  rations  and  the  outlook  was  not  the 
brightest  in  the  world.  Their  constant  ability  to  talk 
with  Guam  and  with  San  Francisco,  and  to  learn  the 
doings  in  the  great  world  of  which  thev  were  not,  was 
their  only  solace.  The  sea  was.  for  extended  periods, 
too  rough  to  admit  of  fishing,  and  all  the  edible  birds 
had  long  since  departed.  In  these  dark  days  before 
the  "Iroquois"  succeeded  in  landing  supplies,  the  only 
oil  that  was  to  be*  had  was  that  furnished  by  the  albatross, 
which  has  a  deposit  of  oil  in  or  near  its  stomach.  If  the 
bird  l»c  held  up  by  his  feet  he  will  eject  quite  a  teacupful 
of  this  oil  from  his  bill.  With  this  strange  source  of 
supply  the  evenings  were  made  much  shorter  than  they 
would  otherwise  have  been. 

The  albatross  is  a  bird  affording  the  deepest 
interest.  When  the  nesting  time  comes,  a  single  egg, 
of  about  the  size  of  a  domestic  duck  egg,  brown  spotted 
on  a  cream  ground,  is  deposited  one  morning  on  the  bare 
earth,  perhaps  at  your  very  doorstep.  In  six  weeks 
the  female  is  rewarded  for  her  faithful  vigil  by  the  arrival 
of  what  is  probably  the  homeliest  offspring  on  earth. 
For  months  the  new  bird  has  to  rely  entirely  upon  its 
parents  for  food,  as  there  is  none  on  the  island  and  the 
young  are  too  weak  to  fly.  So  far  as  can  be  learned  the 
old  birds  are  absent  for  periods  that  are  sometimes  three 
weeks  in  extent.  Never  does  the  young  bird  drink. 
He  stands  about  or  sits  on  the  white  sand  waiting  till 
his  food  shall  come.  Soon,  in  the  far  distance  he  sees 
two  dark  specks.  He  knows  that  they  are  propelled 
by  enormous  wings  that  often  spread  more  than  ten 
feet.  Soon  they  alight  beside  him.  He  is  inspected 
carefully  by  both  parents,  who  then  move  from  him  to 
a  distance  of  perhaps  ten  feet  on  either  side,  seat  them- 
selves, and  then  apparently  begin  an  absorbing  conversa- 
tion, with  curious  quacks.  First  one  discourses  and 
then  the  other.  At  times  they  become  so  interested 
that  both  talk  at  once,  their  child  standing  respectfully 
between  them  in  entire  silence.  This  often  endures  for 
five  minutes,  when  both  older  birds  arise  and  begin  a 
strange    dance    by   touching   their   bills   together,    each 

82 


THE  MIDWAYS 

bowing   profoundly  to  the  other  at    the   same    instant. 

Then  they  sachet,  pirouette,  reverse,  and  repeat 
these  figures,  both  invariably  making  the  same  movement 
at  the  same  time.  At  certain  intervals  they  will  rise  on 
their  toes,  puff  out  their  breasts,  elevate  their  bills  to 
the  sky,  flutter  their  wings,  and  then  both  will  emit  a 
shrill  whistle. 

Then  they  salute  each  other  with  their  interlocked 
bills,  bow,  withdraw  and  repeat  the  previous  movements. 
]f  a  spectator  stands  beside  them  they  will  pay  no  atten- 


First  Figure:   Albatross  Dative 

tion  to  his  presence  unless  he  seems  too  near.  In  that 
event  they  interrupt  their  movements  long  enough  to 
waddle  a  few  feet  distant.  There  they  at  once  resume 
their  play.  In  these  orgies  the  young  bird  takes  part. 
He  repeats  the  figures  of  his  parents  as  far  as  lie  can. 
Often  a  score  of  couples  may  be  seen  similarly  engaged 
at  the  same  time. 

This  curious  dance  ceases  at  the  end  of  about 
fifteen  minutes.  Then  the  mother  approaches  her  young 
and  opens  her  long  bill;    the  youngster's  head  almost 

83 


AROUND    THE   WOULD   IN   NINETY  DAYS 


disappears  in  his  mother's  throat;  she  regurgitates  and 
the  offspring  is  soon  fed.     The  father  then  permits  the 

same  operation  and  then  the  parents  sit  down  on  the 
sand,  one  on  either  side  of  their  young,  and  some  fifteen 
feet  distant  from  it;  the  younger  bird  seats  himself  and 
thus  they  remain  until  it  is  time  for  the  larger  birds  to 
begin  their  next  expedition,  usually  upon  the  following 
morning. 

At  the  time  of  our  visit  Doctor  Storror  estimated 
that  there  were  then  over  five  hundred  albatross  upon 
the   nesting  grounds  in  the  south  of  Sand  Island. 

I  ne  albatross   has   a  very  large  brain.      It  appears 


Albatross    Dance:   Final  Figure 

to  bear  a  ratio  to  its  skull  that  is  fully  equal  to  the  ratio 
of  the  brain  to  the  skull  of  the  normal  human.  Besides 
the  albatross,  the  tern  and  boatswain  are  prevalent  and 
there  are  many  plover  and  sickle-billed  curlew.  The 
boatswain  is  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  pigeon  in  the 
States  except  that  it  has  a  much  larger  spread  of  wing. 
It  has  a  long,  crimson  wing  and  a  dusky  gray  body. 
The  tern  was  the  white  bird  with  green  breast  that 
accompanied  my  perambulations  on  the  island.  We 
saw  a  slate-colored  member  of  this  family  which  is 
very  common. 

84 


^ 


o 


TO 


3 
o 

OS 


THE  MID  WA  YS 

From  Commander  Chas.  F.  Pond,  U.S.N. ,  who  is 
often  called  "The  Father  of  the  Midways,"  as  he  made 
the  only  existing  chart  of  them  and  their  surroundings, 
I  learned  that  the  Islands  were  first  discovered  in 
1859,  by  Captain  C.  N.  Brooks  of  the  Hawaiian  bark 
"Gambia,"  who  formally  took  possession  of  them  in  the 
name  of  the  United  States. 

They  were  then  unvisited  for  eight  years;  when 
the  "Lackawanna,"  Captain  Reynolds,  made  a  survey 


Resting 

at  the  instance  of  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company, 
which  desired  to  make  a  coaling  station  upon  Sand 
Island.  As  a  result  of  this  a  cargo  of  coal  was  later  left 
there  but  never  taken  off,  as  the  project  was  abandoned 
when  the  true  conditions  were  learned.  Traces  of  the 
coal  still  exist. 

Three  years  later,  in  1870,  Captain  Sicard,  Later 
Rear  Admiral,  made  a  reconnaissance  in  the  U.S.S. 
"Saginaw."     Shortly    afterward    she    was    wrecked    on 


AROl  XI)    WE   WORLD   1\    NINETY  PAYS 

Ocean  Lsland,  the  last  of  the  coral  chain  extending  to 
the  Qorthwest  of  the  Hawaiian  Group  for  some  thirteen 

hundred  miles,  and  of  which  the  Midways  are  the 
next  to  the  lasl.  The  "Saginaw"  overran  her  estimated 
progress  and  struck  the  coral  reed'  of  Ocean  Island  at 
full  speed  and  with  no  previous  warning.  Sicard, 
aroused  by  the  shock,  came  on  the  bridge  and  drawled 
out  a  remark  that  is  one  of  the  prides  of  the  American 
Navy,  "Well,  we  got  here  sooner  than  we  expected  to, 
didn't  we?"     The  ship  was  totally  destroyed. 

Next,  as  far  as  known,  the  group  was  visited  by  the 
"General  Siegel,"  a  Honolulu  ship,  which  was  wrecked 
on  Sand  Island  in  1886,  as  Commander  Pond  recollects. 
Some  of  the  crew  reached  the  shore.  One  of  the  men 
killed  the  Captain  and  the  murderer  was  marooned 
upon  Eastern  Island,  when  the  rest  of  the  survivors 
left  the  island  in  an  improvised  boat,  which  later 
arrived  in  Honolulu.  The  story  of  the  crime  and  wreck 
was  told  to  ( 'aptain  Walker,  also  of  that  city,  of  the  bark 
"Wandering  Minstrel."  which  about  a  year  later 
visited  the  islands. 

As  the  strangers  approached  the  small  hut  in  which 
the  murderer  had  been  exiled,  they  saw  a  man  moving 
from  window  to  window  as  if  he  desired  to  create  the 
impression  that  there  were  a  number  of  people  in  the 
cabin;  at  the  same  time  he  displayed  a  firearm  and  his 
whole  attitude  was  one  of  hostility.  When  he  was 
assured  that  Captain  Walker  did  not  desire  to  arrest 
him  and  had  not  come  to  punish  him  in  any  way  for  his 
former  crime,  be  became  friendly.  Before  Captain 
Walker  could  leave,  his  vessel  went  to  pieces  on  the 
coral  on  the  northeast  side  of  Welles  Harbor,  Feb.  3, 
1887.  He,  his  wife,  his  son  and  fellow  companions 
soon  occupied  a  new  hut,  known  ever  since  as  Walker's 
House,  on  Sand  Island  and  there  the  most  of  them  re- 
mained for  fourteen  months,  during  which  six  died  of 
scurvy,  and  another  was  killed  by  dynamite  while 
fishing  with  that  explosive.  The  graves  of  these 
unfortunates,  together  with  those  of  two  Japanese 
bird     catchers,     I      have     already     mentioned.        The 

86 


THE   MIDWA  YS 

marooned  man  had  evidently  become  demented  by 
his  former  terrible  experiences  and  he  proved  a  fire- 
brand among  his  rescuers.  One  dark  night,  Walker's 
mate  and  a  Chinese  coolie  disappeared  with  the  only 
boat  which  the  islands  possessed,  having  previously 
loaded  her  with  provisions,  etc.,  taken  from  the  scanty 
stores  of  their  fellow  sufferers.  They  landed  in  the 
Marshall  Islands  several  hundred  miles  to  the  southward. 
There,  instead  of  endeavoring  to  obtain  relief  for  those 
they  had  left  behind,  the  miscreants  represented  them- 
selves as  the  sole  survivors  of  the  crew  of  the  "Wander- 
ing Minstrel."  Walker,  however,  a  man  of  many 
friends,  was  being  sought  by  them  and  was  soon  after 
rescued.  Search  was  instituted  for  those  who  had 
deserted  and  they  were  located.  In  the  meantime  the 
murderer  had  added  another  homicide  to  his  record  and 
was  already  in  durance.  Owing  to  technicalities  the 
man  escaped  and  was  soon  deported  to  Panama,  where 
he  disappeared. 

Mrs.  Walker  faithfully  kept  a  diary  of  these  ad- 
ventures; this  book,  I  am  informed,  has  been  read  but 
by  one  person  outside  of  the  Walker  family  and  that 
person  was  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  who  used  it  as  the 
basis  of  "The  Wreckers,"  which  he  wrote  while  he 
resided  at  Waikiki,  Honolulu's  wonderful  sea  resort. 

Commander  Pond  placed  at  my  disposition  his 
reports  to  the  Navy  Department  of  his  observations  at 
the  Midways.  He  was  their  next  known  visitor.  He 
arrived  May  6,  1900,  and  in  nine  weeks  of  exceedingly 
hard  work  made  16,192  soundings  for  the  remarkable 
chart  possessed  by  the  Department. 

His  reports  are  models  of  modesty,  exactness, 
and  wealth  of  detail.  From  them  I  gathered  the 
interesting  fact  that  during  the  taking  of  his  soundings 
he  had  recovered  one  of  the  anchors  of  the  "Wandering 
Minstrel"  and  had  carried  it  to  Honolulu  and  returned 
it  to  Captain  Walker  who  had  lost  it  thirteen  years 
previous  and  who  still  was,  and  is,  at  Honolulu. 

Sand  Island  has  probably  much  changed  in  appear- 
ance and  dimension  in  its  history,  as  Pond  noted  thai, 

87 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IS  NINETY  DAYS 

even  in  his  short  stay,  over  twenty  feet  of  the  bight  at  the 
northern  end  of  the  island  disappeared  into  the  water. 
0(  the  sand  dunes  he  states  as  follows: 
"These  sand  dunes  are  covered  with  bushes  and 
are  practically  a  permanent  feature  of  the  topography 
of  the  Island.  From  our  excavations  for  sand  anchors 
.  .  .  it  is  evident  how  these  sand  dunes  are  formed. 
A  seed  takes  root  on  the  level  sand,  and,  as  a  bush 
sprouts,  sand  collects  about  it.  The  bush  grows  as  do 
others  about  it  and  the  dune  is  soon  formed.     It  finally 


Edge  of  Sand  Dane 

becomes  so  high  that  the  wooded  portion  of  the  dunes  is 
too  much  for  the  roots  to  sustain  life,  or  they  cannot  get 
enough  moisture.  Then  the  bushes  are  smothered,  die, 
and  the  dune  is  blown  away.  It  is  very  easy  to  deter- 
mine the  relative  ages  of  the  dunes,  the  young  ones,  the 
middle-aged  ones  and  the  old  ones.  The  older  ones  have 
no  bushes  on  top,  only  a  fringe  about  their  sides.  Some 
of  the  larger  ones  are  covered  with  bushes,  which  present, 
in  these  cases,  a  fresh  appearance.  Circles  of  dead  stubs 
mark  the  location  of  former  dunes. 

88 


* 


© 

Aw 


> 


I 


*1 


THE  MIDWAYS 

"From  conversation  with  Captain  Walker  .  .  . 
and  his  description  of  the  dunes  as  they  then  existed,  I 
would  estimate  their  life  at  fifty  years  or  more." 

Commander  Pond  states  that  there  is  a  curious, 
small,  wingless  bird,  exceedingly  fleet  of  foot,  upon 
Eastern  Island,  which  he  thinks  was  introduced  from 
the  Laysan  Islands.  He  also  reports  that  he  obtained 
over  a  quart  of  oil  for  use  in  a  lantern  from  five  albatross 
which  he  treated  in  the  same  manner  described  by  Dr. 
Storror. 

Dr.  Storror's  eyes  twinkled  behind  his  pince-nez 
when  he  related  that  on  the  "Fourth"  there  was  a  very 
close  base-ball  game  on  the  island — the  Marines  against 
the  world.  As  the  game  progressed,  excitement  in- 
creased until  decisions  at  critical  points  could  no  longer 
be  amicably  received  by  those  who  suffered  from  them. 
The  continuance  of  the  contest  finally  turned  upon  a 
single  interpretation  of  a  point  of  the  rules  of  the  game. 
No  copy  of  "the  book"  was  on  the  islands  and  neither 
side  would  recede  from  the  contention.  At  last  it  was 
decided  to  cable  to  San  Francisco  for  an  authoritative 
ruling.  Pending  the  receipt  of  the  reply,  the  game  was 
suspended.  In  the  course  of  an  hour  the  decision  was 
rendered,  the  announcement  was  received  with  acquies- 
cence, and  the  game  completed. 

You  may  be  now  interested  in  pursuing  the  fate  of 
my  albatross.  You  know  the  real  old  salts.  They  are 
fast  disappearing;  but  there  were  some  half  dozen  upon 
the  "Sherman."  Several  of  these  men  tried  to  dissuade 
me  from  bringing  the  bird  from  the  island.  Van 
Deusen  whispered  to  me  that  sailors  would  leap  over- 
board rather  than  remain  upon  a  ship  that  carried  an 
albatross.  But  I  was  insistent.  I  was  well  aware  of 
this  superstition,  but  I  also  felt  that  there  was  not  a  Live 
albatross  in  the  United  States,  and  at  Manila  there 
was  a  Botanical  Garden  to  which  there  would  be  an 
enthusiastic  welcome  for  him. 

We  placed  him  in  a  shower  bath  between  decks. 
He  ate  some  raw  meat  and  devoured  some  (isli  which 
was  placed  in  his  jaws.     I  was  jubilant  but  still  afraid 

S'.l 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IS  NINETY  DAYS 

of  the  sailors.  SO  afraid,  that   at  the  first  opportunity   I 
made  photographs  of  him. 

The  second  day  out  I  took  him  to  the  stern  of  the 
ship  to  place  him  in  a  box  which  had  just  been  com- 
pleted for  him.  This  box  was  to  be  located  at  a  point 
on  the  upper  deck  that  would  be  visited  but  little.  As 
the  box  was  not  <|uite  prepared  for  him  I  fastened  him 
securely  to  a  capstan  and  opened  a  conversation  with  one 
of   the   old   sailors   near  at    hand.      Four  of    the    oldest 


My  Albatross  en  tour 


ones  on  the  boat  were  at  work  in  my  vicinity-  I 
noticed  that  they  seemed  to  resent  the  presence  of  the 
bird  but  I  went  forward  to  lunch.  On  my  return  the 
bird  was  gone.  I  asked  these  men  if  they  knew  any- 
thing of  it.  All  but  one  replied  in  the  negative.  The 
fourth  made  no  response. 

"  One  of  them  old  shellbacks  let  him  overboard  all 
right,  all  right,"  commented  Kidston. 

'.HI 


CHAPTER  VI 


A  NIGHT  IN   GUAM 


When  on  July  16,  Saturday,  at  about  2  p.m.  we  set 
to  the  southwest  and  started  for  Guam  from  the  Mid- 
ways, I  felt  depressed.  We  were  commencing  a  voyage 
of  nine  days,  over  2,300  miles,  doubly  tedious  with  six- 
teen days  behind,  and  the  knowledge  that  each  day 
would  bring  heat  more  and  more  unbearable. 

But  the  story  of  these  nine  days  is  short.  The 
usual  routine  was  pursued.  On  the  first  day,  Sunday, 
there  was  a  shower  for  half  an  hour,  temperature  81 
degrees.  That  night  we  slept  thirty-six  hours;  into 
Tuesday  anyhow,  as  we  crossed  the  line,  and  there 
wasn't  any  Monday.  I  don't  believe  it;  but  the  geog- 
raphy says  so.  Figure  it  out  if  you  can.  I  can't. 
Temperature  78  degrees,  and  a  quarter  of  an  hour  of 
rain. 

On  the  twentieth  the  glass  was  at  76  degrees  and 
there  was  another  day  with  no  air.  A  long  swell  added 
to  the  discomfort  of  many.  This  day  we  fell  into  a  new- 
custom  that  was  maintained  till  the  end:  sandwiches 
and  coffee  after  10.00  p.m.  They  were  served  on  deck, 
and  on  these  nights  when  the  moon  was  rounding  to 
the  full,  and  the  singing  naturally  held  later  and  later, 
this  lunch  proved  a  welcome  way  to  close  the  evening. 

On  the  twenty-first  there  were  white  caps,  but  none 
on  the  twenty-second.  We  were  awake  nearly  all  night 
the  twenty-first. 

On  the  twenty-third  we  had  a  grand  card  party, 
ostensibly  to  play  "500,"  -really,  though,  to  afford  an 
opportunity  to  some  of  the  rank  ladies  to  put  on  as 
scanty  attire  as  they  dared.  By  great  good  hick  and 
the  inevitable  consequence  of  sharp  practices  by  an 
opponent  the  first  prize  came  to  me,  a  collection  of  l<>;isK 
styled  "Hello  Bill  /" 

'.M 


AROUXD   THE  WORLD   IS   NINETY  DAYS 

This  was  the  occasion  when  I  saw  snobdom  at  its 
worst.  The  way  some  of  the  rank  crowd  would  play  as 
partners  to  some  poor  plebeians  and  never  seethe  latter 
at  all  was  wonderful:  hut  not  half  as  wonderful  as  the 
manner  in  which  some  of  them  would  cheat. 

On  Snndav,  the  twenty-fourth,  we  attended  Catholic 
divine  service.  The  altar  and  its  furnishings  were  im- 
provised, from  whatever  the  ship  afforded,  forward  upon 
the  main  deck,  and  the  contrast  between  the  rich  vest- 
ments of  the  officiating  clergy  and  the  rough  canvas  that 
covered  the  boxes  which  made  the  altar,  and  the  common, 
greasy,  sputtering  lanterns  that  served  for  candles  and 
censers  was  notable.  Yet  I  never  before  witnessed  a 
ceremony  that  was  more  impressive.  A  glance  over  the 
rail  at  the  sea,  and  then  a  thought  of  how7  frail  the  pro- 
tection against  it,  made  our  utter  dependence  upon  the 
Ruler  of  it  all  most  evident.  The  most  frivolous  were 
sobered. 

That  night  was  a  bad  one.  We  sang  till  11,  then 
stood  on  the  after  bridge  till  midnight,  under  a  full  moon 
in  a  cloudless  sky,  watching  the  entire  ship  in  front  of 
and  under  our  feet  as  it  ploughed  ahead.  Never  have 
I  been,  elsewhere,  so  impressed  with  the  greatness  of  the 
ocean,  the  wonder  of  the  sky  and  the  littleness  of  man 
and  his  affairs.  Between  and  on  those  decks  ahead  of 
us  were  a  thousand  people,  each  with  his  or  her  struggle, 
his  or  her  story,  his  or  her  tragedy  and  skeletons,  and 
yet,  the  whole  scene  would  lose  no  more  than  a  little 
dot  if  we  all  sank  beneath  the  waves!  Who  could  feel 
proud  and  strong  in  such  an  atmosphere  ? 

This  night  the  air  was  83  degrees,  and  even  with 
the  fan,  sleep  hardly  visited  our  cabin,  and  many  slept 
on  deck,  half -disrobed,  in  steamer  chairs.  From  now 
this  occurred  nightly. 

It  was  the  night  before  Guam,  which  was  to  be  the 
end  of  the  most  disagreeable  section  of  all  our  sea  trips. 

As  soon  as  we  were  on  deck  the  next  morning, 
Tuesday,  the  twenty-sixth  day  from  'Frisco,  Guam  was 
in  sight  and  we  ran  along  by  its  surf  till  about  10  o'clock, 
when  we  dropped  anchor,  a  mile  from  the  nearest  shore, 

92 


A    NIGHT  IX  GUAM 

of  which  I  took  a  picture,  which  is  typical  of  the  island's 
appearance  from  the  sea. 

Long  before  we  reached  our  anchorage  we  saw  a 
number  of  boats  hurrying  toward  us.  They  proved  to 
be  filled  with  bargaining  natives,  cocoanuts,  bananas, 
deer  horns,  cigars,  oranges,  etc.,  etc.  These  men  of 
Guam  were  short  of  stature,  about  five  feet-two,  and. 
apparently  of  the  same  race  as  the  Filipino.  Their  only 
clothing  was  a  shirt  open  at  the  neck,  worn  outside  the 
cotton  trousers,  and  a  large-brimmed,  high-crowned, 
home-woven,   ungainly,   straw   hat.     Their  skins   were 


In  the  I J  arbor  of  Guam 

copper  colored,  and  they  understood  enough  of  Spanish 
to  render  communication  easy  to  those  of  us  who  had  a 
smattering  of  it. 

The  U.S.S.  "Supply,"  which  is  one  of  the  two 
official  dwelling  places  of  our  naval  officer  who  is  I  lie 
Governor  of  the  Island,  lay  near  us,  and  Dr.  Storror 
and  I  were  soon  taken  aboard  her  in  Commander 
Pond's  launch. 

We  had  brought  the  mail,  two  months  overdue,  to 
the  "Supply,"  for  her  young  officers  were  eager  to  se 
cure  the  bags. 

93 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IN  NINETY  PAYS 

You  should  have  seen  the  laces  of  these  officers 
shine  with  anticipation  as  they  saw  the  huge  sacks  come 
up  from  our  hold. 

( 'ommander  Pond  was  so  eager  to  get  his  own  letters 
that  he  ordered  all  the  bags,  some  half  dozen,  to  be 
brought  into  his  cabin,  where,  with  anxious  hands,  all 
were  emptied  on  the  floor  in  one  huge  pile.  Any  sem- 
blance of  dignity  or  relative  rank  vanished  in  the  scramble 
which  ensued. 

Down  on  their  haunches  and  knees  they  got. 
"  Haven't  had  a  word  from  home  in  over  three  months" 
the  commanding  officer  ejaculated,  "and  I  sent  full 
directions  to  Mrs.  Pond  about  coming  out  to  stay  the 
winter  with  me." 

While  I  was  busily  at  work  at  the  Commander's 
desk,  I  heard  an  exclamation  of  disgust  from  him;  and 
then  his  sharp  voice,  filled  with  anger,  snapped: 

"What's  this!  Here's  a  lot  of  letters  I  sent  March 
1st.  Here  are  several  to  Mrs.  Pond !  What's  the  mean- 
ing of  this  Mr.  A ?"  addressing  a  junior  officer. 

"I  don't  know,  sir.  Here's  a  whole  batch  of  mine 
sent  at  the  same  time.  It  looks  as  if  they  had  returned 
our  letters  to  us  by  mistake — the  bag  we  sent  March 
1st." 

"Where's  the  tag  that  came  on  that  bag?"  the 
Commander  almost  shouted. 

It  was  produced.  "Whose  writing  is  that?"  he 
asked,  as  he  read  "U.S.S.  Supply,  Guam." 

"William's  sir.     He  made  it  up." 

"Have  him  put  in  the  jug  for  two  days,  and  fed  on 
bread  and  water!  I'll  teach  him  not  to  be  so  careless 
again.  Don't  let  this  get  out  to  the  men.  It'll  break 
them  all  up." 

"It's  too  late,  sir.  They  know  it  already.  Walker 
who  helped  bring  the  bags  in,  left  just  as  you  spoke.  He 
had  just  shown  me  what  had  happened  when  you  caught 
on." 

"Then  it's  all  out.  Too  bad!  Too  bad!  Just 
think  of  the  anxiety  in  scores  of  homes,  this  fool's  mis- 
take has  roused  —  homes  all  over  the  United  States. 

94 


A   NIGHT  IN  GUAM 

Too  bad!     It'll  make  the  men  sick  for  a  few  days!" 

That  is  life  in  the  navy!  And  the  absences,  the 
years  during  which  a  father  never  sees  his  wife,  his  little 
ones!  But  how  these  hardy  men  regard  these  depriva- 
tions may  well  be  indicated  by  Commander  Pond's 
observation,  in  response  to  my  questions,  that  he  "had 
never  been  separated  more  than  two  years"  from  his 
family. 

Heavens !  An  absence  of  six  months  would  not  be 
regarded  as  worth  mentioning  by  these  men.  That 
isn't  living  at  all.  It  must  freeze  the  hearts  at  home 
as  well  as  those  on  the  salt  seas.  The  comforts  of  home 
can  never  be  known  in  those  families.  Such  men  and 
women  deserve  all  their  country  can  give  them. 

Several  hours  later,  the  "  Sherman  "  moved  along- 
side and  strapped  herself  to  the  "Supply"  which  we  used 
as  a  wharf,  and  a  sorry  spectacle  did  we  soon  make  of 
the  immaculate  appearance  she  had  presented  upon 
our  arrival. 

In  the  early  afternoon  practically  all  the  passengers 
went  ashore,  but  my  work  kept  us  behind  and  it  was  six 
in  the  evening  before  I  was  free ;  and  we  were  scheduled 
to  leave  for  the  Philippines  at  nine  —  in  three  hours, 
and  it  took  nearly  that  to  go  up  to  the  town. 

I  knew  that  the  chances  were  a  hundred  to  one  that 
we  would  never  again  visit  here;  and  it  was  a  bitter 
thought  that  we  were  lying  only  a  mile  from  shore  and 
yet  could  not  visit  it.  Nor  was  I  any  happier,  I  fear, 
at  the  reflection  that  everybody  but  us  had  gone,  taken 
tea  with  the  governor  and  had  been  his  guest  at  the  palace 
for  several  hours.  It  was,  then,  a  rather  glum  time  at 
our  lonely  table  at  the  evening  meal,  except  for  "The 
Prince,"  and  a  slow  growing  determination  to  go  ashore 
anyhow,  if  no  more  than  to  leap  on  the  sand,  run  ten 
feet  and  then  run  back  again  to  escape  the  disgrace 
of  having  visited  Guam  harbor  but  never  Guam. 

He  whom  we  dubbed  "The  Prince"  was  shedding 
his  armor  as,  indeed,  all  must,  on  a  long  voyage.  He 
was  the  typical  small  politican.  He  was  tall,  slender, 
narrow-shouldered,    and    usually    maintained    his   right 

95 


AROUND    I  Hi:   WORLD   IS   NINETY  DAYS 

hand  hall*  open  behind  his  back,  suggestive,  it  is  whis- 
pered, of  the  politicians  of  his  State.  He  wore  a  per- 
manent smile,  exhibited  effusive  manners,  and  had 
arrived  at  that  dread  period  which  many  men  attain 
when  they  love  only  to  talk  of  their  own  fancied  exploits. 
As  a  result,  long  before  Honolulu,  we  were  all  avoiding 
him. 

At  Guam  we  found  him  out.  My  first  inkling  of 
the  true  situation  was  his  appearance  on  the  gang  plank 
that  led  to  the  "Supply,"  accompanied  by  a  small  boy, 
say  of  seven,  whom  a  mother,  anxious  to  go  ashore,  had 
placed  in  his  charge.  In  a  little  while  I  saw  the  states- 
man stagger  up  from  a  lower  deck  of  the  "Supply," 
holding  tight  to  the  hand  of  his  bewildered  little  com- 
panion.  This,  and  a  very  red  face  and  more  affected 
manners  than  ever,  showed  what  had  probably  happened 
to  our  friend.  He  had  come  to  see  the  "Supply"  and 
had  taken  much  of  it  with  him. 

No  sooner  were  we  away  from  the  table  than  I 
found  three  young  men  who  sympathized  with  me,  and, 
together,  we  besieged  Kidston,  the  big  first  officer, 
to  know  the  latest  minute  we  could  be  back  before  the 
ship  was  to  sail. 

This  is  where,  if  my  experience  is  typical,  all  ship 
officers  begin  (perhaps  "resume"  is  nearer  the  truth) 
their  lying.  But  without  protest,  we  had  allowed 
Kidston  at  all  our  concerts  to  sing  all  the  Scotch  songs 
he  desired,  and,  he  wras,  therefore,  not  in  a  judicial 
attitude  toward  us  conspirators.  He  then  told  us  a  pro- 
found secret: 

Owing  to  the  slowness  with  which  the  Guam  cargo 
was  being  discharged  it  was  certain  that  we  could  not  get 
away  till  after  midnight,  even  if  the  men  worked  con- 
stantly; and,  as  they  had  no  supper,  the  Captain  had  just 
decided  that  it  was  best  to  finish  in  the  early  morning. 

There  was  our  chance.  No  boat  was  available 
except  several  native  ones  that  hung  around  the  gang- 
way searching  for  buyers  of  their  cocoanuts  and  bananas. 

Was  it  safe  to  go  ashore  in  the  night  ?  Would  it  be 
wise  to  take  Airs.  Chamberlin  ?     HowT  large  ought  our 

96 


A    NIGHT  IX  GUAM 

party  to  be  ?  Should  we  carry  revolvers  ?  Were  these 
boatmen  reliable  ?  Was  the  channel  plain  ?  These 
and  other  important  inquiries  hurried  to  our  lips. 

On  these,  Kidston's  guess  was  as  good  as  our  own. 
We  decided  we  would  go  if  we  could  secure  half  a  dozen 
strong  young  fellows  to  join  us,  who  would  stand  by  if 
we  ran  into  a  mess  anywhere.  Lieut.  Fulton,  of  the 
Philippine  Scouts,  a  splendid  specimen  of  the  American 
soldier,  volunteered  for  the  duty,  and  then  I  asked  three 
of  the  young  men  employed  in  the  engine  department  of 
the  ship  to  go.  They  were  big  fellows,  hearty,  bluff, 
men  you  would  trust  your  wife's  life  with  before  you 
had  known  them  half  an  hour,  and  gentlemen  all; 
and  more,  the  transport  could  not  stir  without  them,  so 
that,  no  matter  how  long  we  were  delayed  we  could  not 
be  left  behind.  For  similar  reasons  I  always  take  the 
game  warden  shooting  with  me  out  in  Nebraska  when 
the  game  law  is  on. 

My  proposition  was  that  the  rest  of  us  would  pay 
their  expenses  if  they  would  go. 

You  may  be  sure  that  they  were  eager  for  a  lark; 
but  their  immediate  chief  refused  them  permission. 
Kidston,  however,  got  them  off. 

Then  we  bargained  for  a  boat,  or  rather  Fulton 
did,  as  he  knew  enough  Spanish.  These  boats  were 
about  twenty  feet  long,  of  very  wide  beam,  and  steered 
by  a  paddle.  There  were  five  natives  to  every  crew. 
After  much  haggling  we  closed  a  bargain  at  the  rate  of 
$1.00  for  each  passenger  for  the  round  trip,  payable  at 
the  end  of  the  work. 

In  a  minute  Mrs.  Chamberlin,  bareheaded,  and 
I  were  in  the  stern  under  the  stout,  cheroot-smoking, 
implacable,  silent,  half-naked  native  who  steered, 
while  the  remaining  five  of  our  party  occupied  such  spots 
as  the  oarsmen  left. 

That  ride  to  the  shore,  say  for  half  an  hour  under 
the  full  moon  of  the  tropics  forms  one  of  tlie  brightest 
memories  of  all  our  travels.  The  channel  through  winch 
we  were  soon  slowly  proceeding  was  less  than  thirty 
feet    wide   and    not    more   than    four    feet    deep.      It   had 


AROUND    THE   WORLD   IN   NINETY  DAYS 

recently  been  made  fairly  clear  by  piling-  up  on  either 
of  its  banks  the  huge  pieces  of  coral  that  it  formerly 
contained,  so  that  one  fell  as  if  he  were  being  rowed 
between  two  stone  walls. 

The  steersman  controlled  the  crew  by  sharp  guttural 
gruntings,  and  fell  his  responsibilities  too  much  to  smile 
at  our  mosl  winsome  approaches. 

NO  sooner  were  we  out  of  the  boat  than  the  crew 
demanded  pay.  Orientals  always  do  that,  but  never 
succeed  with  those  who  have  had  experience  with  them. 

I  had  a  penciled  note  to  an  American  who  lived 
near   the   landing.      He   heard   the   noise  of  our  arrival 


The  Landing  at  Guam 

and  came  down,  opened  the  note  and  read  it.  So 
naturally  was  this  done  that  there  did  not  flash  upon  me 
till  later  the  true  significance  of  what  I  had  witnessed, 
J  only  refer  to  it  now  to  demonstrate  how  wonderfully 
clear  was  the  moonlight.  To  inquiry  for  conveyances 
lie  shouted  some  gibberish  at  several  huts  near  by  and 
left  us. 

h\  five  minutes  a  curious  rig  came  pattering  down 
the  street,  a  black  bossy,  with  soft  yielding  feet,  not  over 
three  feet  high,  drawing  a  two  wheeled,  springless 
vehicle,   of  the   chaise   variety,   with   a   single   seat  for 

98 


A    NIGHT  IN  GUAM 


passengers,  and  a  smaller  one  behind  for  the  driver, 
who  had  a  six  inch  roll  of  tobacco  leaf  between  his  teeth. 
He  was  barefooted,  and  wore  only  the  cigar,  trousers, 
hat  and  a  transparent  shirt.  He  maintained  one  rein, 
the  other  end  of  which  was  hitched  to  a  ring  in  the  calf's 
nose. 

We  had  arrived  in  the  tropics.  There  wras  no  doubt 
of  it.  Mrs.  Chamberlin  and  I  mounted  the  seat,  our 
puffing  driver  behind.     Then  a  pony  cart  came  along 


The  First  Shacks 

for  the  others  and  the  five  were  soon  stowed  away, 
happy  and  hilarious.  The  pony  was  no  larger  than  the 
bossy.  He  had  rope  tugs  and  wore  blinders.  The  car- 
riage was  a  two-seated,  covered  affair,  about  the  style 
of  what  we  call  a  beach  wagon.  The  sight  of  those  five 
big  fellows  —  all  but  one  were  over  six  feet  and  each 
weighed  over  175  pounds,  cooping  themselves  up  in  thai 
little  carriage,  their  knees  up  to  their  chins,  depending 


AROUND    THE   WORLD   l\   NINETY   DAYS 

upon  a  little  borse  which  would  not  weigh  half  of  whal  they 
did  was  ;i  ridiculous  sight.  Hut  these  things  all  added 
to  our  enjoyment,  for  every  one  of  the  party  was  a 
thorough  Bohemian.  We  figured  that  the  calf  would 
travel  slower  than  the  other  animal,  so  Mrs.  Chamber- 
liu  and  1  went  ahead.  The  cigar  our  driver  was  em- 
ploying just  reached  beyond  my  ear.  Where  in  the 
world  we  were  going  not  one  of  us  knew,  and  all  sorts 
of  visions  of  treachery,  ambuscades  and  slaughter 
flashed  through  my  mind,  as  it  must  have  done  in  that  of 
all. 

It  was  surprising  how  fast  the  bossy  moved.  She 
struck  a  gait  that  must  have  equalled  six  miles  an  hour 
and  it'  the  driver  grunted  at  him  hard  enough,  the  little 
beast  would  sharply  increase  even  that.  This  sound 
that  urges  additional  speed  is  exactly  the  same  that 
obtains  in  the  Philippines. 

We  were  soon  among  the  natives.  The  first  shacks 
to  which  we  came  were  all  upon  piles  to  avoid  the  damp- 
ness and  made  of  braided  fibres  and  roofed  with 
grasses.     The  preceding  picture  shows  them. 

The  road  to  Agana,  the  "town,"  runs  close  beside 
the  sea,  almost  all  the  way.  We  met  scores  of  ambling- 
natives,  walking  with  the  heavy,  shuffling,  springless, 
stiff-jointed  gait  of  the  barefooted  in  the  tropics.  The 
body  sinks  down  alternately  on  the  hips,  all  the  upper 
muscles  relaxing,  as  the  weight  is  thrown  on  each  foot  in 
succession.  Both  sexes  were  about  equally  represented, 
of  all  ages;  and  usually  they  were  smoking  cigars  or 
cigarettes  -  men,  women,  boys  and  girls,  as  they  moved 
lazily  along. 

The  women,  who  were  evidently  the  hard-working 
members  of  the  family,  were  inclined  to  be  scrawny, 
fiat -breasted,  possessing,  with  their  flat  heads  and  low- 
retreating  foreheads  about  as  unattractive  bodies, 
limbs,  heads,  and  faces,  as  could  be  devised. 

They  wore  skirts  of  thin  cotton,  and  loose  waists, 
with  short  sleeves.  The  waist  was  open  at  the  neck 
and  entirely  unattached  below.  The  skirt  usually  came  a 
little  below  the  knees,  but  was  often  held  up  above  them 

ion 


A    NIGHT  I.\  GUAM 

as  its  mistress    lolled   along,   chatting,   spitting   as    she 
puffed  at  a  black  cigar  or  cigarette. 

The  women,  when  a  cigar  or  cigarette  was  not  be- 
tween the  *teeth,  practiced  the  awkward  Malay  habit 
which  I  saw  all  over  the  East,  of  holding  the  weed  in  the 
extended  fingers,  while  the  elbow  rested  against  the 
body,  the  forearm  pointed  up  and  outward  at  an 
angle  of  about  forty-five  degrees.  They  often  walked 
this  way,  with  nothing  in  the  hand.  I  doubt  if  we  ever 
sawr  a  Malay  woman  walking  or  sitting  with  the  hands 
at  the  side  as  is  the  Caucasian  use. 


* 

.lot. 

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/HI 

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M 

\m  ' 

>n   ^»njfi#t^B 

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mmW  '*%'&?  mj;- .-    \ 

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w- 

^^5 

J j       > 

Half  Hidden  Homes 

Poor,  irregular,  discolored  teeth  appeared  to  be 
practically  universal. 

The  Guam  voice  is  in  the  middle  register, but  weak, 
as  could  only  be  from  such  flat  chests.  A  large  sonorous 
voice,  one  with  timbre,  I  presume  was  never  given  to  a 
Guamite. 

The  smaller  children,  who  fairly  swarmed,  were 
naked  except  for  a  short  shirt.  I  estimated  the  average 
number  of  children  in  eaeli  family  at  six,  about  that  in 
the  cabins  of  the  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  mountains. 

Many  families  were  bathing.  Fires  were  smoulder- 
ing beside  the  houses  to  drive  away  the  insects.      Pigs 

101 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IN   NINETY   DAYS 

were  running  wild.  Family  groups  squatted  beside  the 
hard,  white,  smooth  road.     The  large  majority  of  the 

population  which  had  lived  over  five  years  was  smoking, 
irrespective  of  sex.  Hardly  anybody  was  in  doors. 
Night  is  the  time  when  thev  visit  and  <>'o  abroad. 

A  caraboa,  the  first  we  had  ever  seen,  with  huge 
branching  horns,  dragging  at  snail  pace  a  cart  with  solid 
wooden  wheels  on  which,  half  asleep,  were  its  owner 
and  a  numerous  family,  moved  to  one  side1  to  let  us  pass. 
All  looked  at  us  curiously,  but  respectfully,  in  every  case 
and  often  men  and  bovs  touched  or  removed  their  hats. 


The  Cross 

Large  groves  of  cocoanut  palms  of  huge-leaved 
banana  and  the  nipa  were  on  every  hand;  and  on  the 
left,  now  through  the  clear  trunks  of  the  tall  palms,  now 
in  uninterrupted  view  as  we  crossed  a  bridge,  the  high 
white  wall  of  the  onrushing  surf  could  be  seen  as  it 
gathered  for  one  final  leap.  With  thunderous  roars  that 
chilled  ones  soul  in  awe  it  struck,  for  miles  at  a  time, 
on  the  coral  reefs  that  ran  beside  us. 

Out  of  some  dark  nook  soft,  barefooted  steps 
would  bring  into  view  a  group  of  timid  women  and 
children  who  had  deserted  the  road  as  they  heard  our 

102 


The  Chapel 


The  Beginnings  of  Agana 


■MHHMH^H 


By  the  Roadside. 


The  Sea  and  the  Palm. 


A    NIGHT  LX  GUAM 

noise,  singing  and  shouts  from  one  carriage  to  the  other. 

There  were  little  shrines  set  into  the  palms,  and  a 
chapel,  all  of  nipa. 

Then  we  passed  a  hut  all  aglow  with  candles  and 
tinsel,  from  which  came  the  sound  of  music  like  an 
accordion.  We  concluded  that  a  marriage  was  the 
cause. 

For  long  stretches  there  were  only  the  palms,  the 
bananas  and  the  heavy  ferns  on  either  side  of  the  road. 

So  we  continued,  laughing,  talking,  singing  just 
as  we  do  in  the  warm  summer  nights  at  home  when  on  a 


The  Heart  of  Agana 

long-awaited  holiday,  until  we  came  to  the  outskirts  of 
the  town.  Here,  after  visiting  a  wayside  store  without 
finding  anything  we  desired  we  changed  conveyances 
with  two  of  the  others,  at  their  suggestion,  for  they  be- 
lieved that  we  had  the  less  comfortable  of  the  two  outfits, 
and  so  it  proved.  We  had  ridden  some  five  miles  in 
what  amounted  to  a  tipcart,  and  the  effect  on  the  spine 
was  severe. 

As  we  moved  into  the  town  we  noted  a  change  in 
architecture. 

More  houses  were  built  of  boards,  although  lli<-  nipa 

roofs  were  prevalent. 

103 


AROCXD   THE  WORLD  I  \  XINETT  DAYS 


Along  the  Plaza 


The  Riding  ( 'lub 
104 


A    NIGHT  IX  GUAM 

Still  further  in  town  the  red-tiled  roofs,  that  are 
so  predominant  in  the  far  eastern  city,  began  to  appear, 
surmounting  a  frame  or  adobe  house  of  modern  architec- 
ture. 

We  drove  to  the  palace  yard,  but  refrained  from 
presenting  ourselves,  and,  on  attempting  to  drive  across 
the  parade  ground,  were  halted  and  turned  back  by 
several  native  policemen,  who  smoked  and  wore  no 
more  than  our  driver,  except  a  badge  and  a  billy. 

A  view  shows  the  palace  in  the  early  evening,  just 
as  our  flag  was  lowering  at  retreat. 

I  procured  one  picture  of  a  party  of  Americans  just 
before  their  departure  from  the  Palace  upon  an  after- 
noon pleasure  ride — the  Agana  Riding  Club, 

After  inspecting  the  royal  quarters  we  started  for 
the  ice-plant  where  we  had  been  informed  we  could 
secure  cool  water.  On  the  way  we  passed  a  house,  two 
stories,  of  adobe,  with  a  red-tiled  roof. 

There  was  a  sound  of  many  joyous  voices,  of  music, 
of  rather  heavy,  noisy  dancing.  A  glance  through  the 
gate  showed  a  bevy  of  young,  white-gowned,  native  girls 
and  young  men,  also  in  white,  gathered  around  a  punch 
bowl  on  a  back  balcony. 

"Let's  see  if  we  can't  get  in  this!"  I  called  and, 
nothing  loath,  you  may  know,  all  dismounted  and  en 
masse  we  charged  through  the  gate,  and  mounted  the 
stone  steps  leading  to  the  punch  bowl. 

An  elderly  gentleman,  evidently  a  native,  clad  in 
white,  met  us  and  invited  us  all  inside.  The  civilized 
character  of  the  place  showed  us  that  here  was  true  re- 
finement, and  we  proceeded  more  cautiously.  We  were 
ushered  into  the  dance  hall,  on  the  second  floor.  Win- 
dows that  were  open  doors  led  onto  balconies  on  all 
sides.  These  were  filled  with  ladies  and  babies,  evidently 
the  relatives  of  the  young  people  who  were  dancing. 
The  room  was  about  twenty-five  feet  long  by  fifteen  wide, 
say  seven  feet  high,  and  floored  in  dark  wood  that  re- 
minded me  of  redwood. 

The  chairs  were  cane-seated,  and  of  wood  similar 
to  that  on  the  floor.     The  centre  of  the  room  was  de 
voted    exclusively    to    dancing.      Kerosene    lamps    fur- 

10.-) 


AROUND    THE   WOULD   IS   NINETY  DAYS 


Agana 


^™HJJLU 


ill  in  in  1 1 1 1  a  ii  i  -iivTu 


HUH     m„   jg    m 


The  Palace 


106 


A    NIGHT  IX  GUAM 

nished  the  Lights.  The  music  came  from  a  Spanish 
piano,  of  most  ancient  make,  played  upon  by  a  native 
youth. 

We  were  shown  to  chairs,  and  the  dancing  which 
our  coming  had  somewhat  impeded,  began  with  re- 
freshed vigor.  The  two-step  was  the  first  one  we  saw. 
All  the  participants,  and  there  must  have  been  fifteen, 
were  plainly  refined.  Their  voices  were  soft  and 
modulated.     The  young  ladies  all  wore  gowns  made  in 


Our  JIo.sl  and  Family 

exact  counterpart  to  the  summer  dresses  we  see  here 
at  home.  Their  hair  was  long,  very  black  and  ar- 
ranged as  here. 

Before  the  first  dance  was  finished,  Lieut.  Fulton 
whispered  to  us  that,  according  to  the  laws  of  hospitality 
we  would  probably  be  asked  to  drink  and  drink  we  must, 
or  offend  the  host.  One  of  our  engineers  here  broughl 
forward    a   tall,    strapping,    rosy-eheeked    fellow    all    in 

]H7 


AROrXD   THE   WORLD   IX  NINETY  DAYS 

immaculate  white  trousers,  white  shoes  and  pink  shirt. 
He  was  introduced  to  us  as  Sergeant  -  of  the  United 
States  Marines  stationed  on  the  Island.  (  )ne  of  our  eom- 
pany,  recognizing  an  American,  leaned  over  and  asked 
in  a  low  tone:  "Say,  what  sort  of  a  joint  is  this,  any- 
how?" 

He  replied,  without  changing  a  muscle  of  his  face: 
"This  is  my  father-in-law's  homo.'" 


An  American  Home 


I  lis  interrogator  appeared  satisfied  to  leave  the 
conversation  at  that  point.  Engaging  the  sergeant  in 
conversation,  I  found  he  was  from  the  South  and  that  we 
had  a  friend  in  common.  He  showed  us  his  little  baby 
boy,  who  was  about  the  room,  but  we  did  not  see  his 
spouse.     The   white   moustached   gentleman   who   had 

108 


The  Earthquake 


Where  the  Quake  Knocked 


A    NIGHT  TN  GUAM 

met  us  on  the  stairs  was  his  father-in-law,  evidently  a 
man  of  means  —  for  Guam. 

Bino  was  the  drink  that  soon  appeared,  served  by 
a  young  gentleman,  in  cordial  glasses.  The  liquor  tasted 
much  like  gin,  was  colorless  and  was  dutifully  disposed 
of  as  offered. 

In  dancing,  the  couples  assumed  positions  exactly 
as  here  and  danced  as  we  do,  except  that  they 
showed  a  disposition  to  pound  the  floor  with  their  soles, 
in  unison  with  the  beat.  This  sound  could  be  heard 
a  long  way  from  the  house. 

I  wanted  to  dance  with  one  of  the  young  ladies,  but 
fearing  that  she  would  not  understand  or  that  I  might 
unintentionally  transgress  some  custom,  did  not  dare  to 
proceed  further. 

Two  young  daughters  of  the  proprietor  danced  a 
Spanish  Fandango  with  what  appeared  to  me  great 
skill,  and  their  audience  applauded,  clapping  just  as  we 
do. 

In  short,  but  for  the  color  of  the  participants,  the 
ruder  furnishings  and  the  more  tinny  music,  the  whole 
affair  was  like  what  we  might  expect  to  see  in  any  gather- 
ing at  home  of  people  of  similar  age  and  relative  con- 
dition. 

We  bowed  to  the  company,  thanked  our  host, 
wished  "good  luck"  to  the  marine  who  had  married  the 
rich  native's  daughter — quite  "a  raise"  from  $14  a 
month !  —  and  started  for  the  ice-plant.  There  we 
found  some  ice-water  and  chatted  with  two  Americans, 
young  men  who  were  running  the  machinery,  and  then 
decided  to  return,  as  it  was  now  nearly  midnight. 

They  have  earthquakes  in  Guam,  that  leave  the 
land  and  houses  like  the  pictures  on  the  preceding 
page. 

The  road  back,  was  shortened  by  a  red  hot  race  be- 
tween the  little  cow  and  the  pony. 

For  a  time  the  result  was  in  doubt,  but  soon  the 
latter  was  far  in  the  lead.  Observing  some  low-hanging 
cocoanuts  on  the  sea  side  of  the  road,  I  stopped  and  an- 
nounced my  determination  to  pick  some.     I  felt  as  it'  1 

L09 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IN  NINETY  DAYS 

oughl  to  do  thai  it'  1  could.  The  other  follows  took  a 
similar  view,  and  soon  wo  were  stumbling  around  in 
reeds  as  high  as  one's  chin,  falling  into  puddles  that 
surrounded  the4  tree  trunks;  twice  I  fell  at  full  length, 
sinking  into  a  muddy  hole,  which,  of  course,  could 
not  be  seen.  The  stout  blades  whipped  my  face  and 
hands  severely. 

None  of  this  had  appeared  from  our  conveyances, 
and  the  fruit  looked  twice  as  far  in  the  air  as  at  first. 

While  I  was  fighting  my  way  in  the  first  contest  with 
tropica]  vegetation,  I  wondered  about  snakes,  jaguars 
and  all  sorts  of  things.  Such  grass  as  we  found  could 
easily  have  concealed  a  whole  menagerie.  But  we  took 
the  risk.  When  I  at  last  found  myself  at  the  foot  of  a 
tree  trunk  that  was  perfectly  round,  fully  fifteen  inches 
in  diameter,  that  had  not  a  branch,  a  knot  or  a  knob  on 
it  for  the  twenty  feet  up  to  where  those  green  cocoanuts 
hung,  I  felt  chicken-hearted,  I  shall  admit  —  and  more 
so  when  I  tried  to  pull  myself  up  and  discovered  that  I 
had  not  the  strength.  It  was  nearly  twenty  years  since 
I  had  climbed  a  tree  and  here  was  one  as  smooth  as  a 
birch,  too  large  to  allow  me  to  get  a  good  hold. 

I  puffed  away  at  my  unusual  exertions,  but  could 
made  no  headway.  My  companions  were  wading  in  the 
tall  reeds  all  about  me,  and  none  had  yet  secured  any 
fruit. 

I  leaned  against  the  tree  in  disgust  and  weariness. 
My  hand  fell  into  a  nick,  fully  two  inches  deep  that 
gave  a  splendid  hold.  It  had  been  cut.  What  did  that 
mean?  I  felt  for  others.  They  were  there!  Instantly 
I  knew,  and  shouted  to  my  companions.  "The  things 
are  cut.  You  can  walk  right  up."  We  could.  Every 
two  feet  or  so  there  was  a  deep  nick,  first  on  one  side 
and  then  on  the  other,  so  that  by  guiding  with  the  hands, 
we  could  walk  right  up  to  my  cocoanuts.  In  less  time 
than  it  takes  to  say  so  I  was  hurling  down  the  fruit  in 
bunches.  In  a  few7  minutes  we  had  several  dozen,  all 
we  wanted. 

Several  of  the  pictures  will  show  such  nicks. 

Upon  reaching  the  wagons  where  Mrs.  Chamberlin 

110 


The  Nicked  Trees 


The  Poor 


The  Altar 


The  Pool 


A    NIGHT  IX  (HAM 

had  remained  with  the  drivers,  we  found  several  other 
natives  awaiting  our  coming.  One  of  them,  seeing  my 
awkward  attempts  at  piercing  a  large  cocoanut  for  its 
water  raised  his  hat,  showed  a  knife  and  in  sign  language 
offered  to  help  me.  I  raised  my  hat  in  return  and 
watched  his  deft  work.  Such  an  act  seems  typical  of 
the  Malays.  I  saw  it  everywhere  extended  to  anybody 
who  honestly  sympathized  with  them,  as  I  believe  I  did 
and  do.  They  respond  to  kindness  and  true  considera- 
tion as  unerringly  as  does  a  baby. 

The  water  of  these  Guam  cocoanuts,  however,  was 
not  palatable,  nor  were  the  bananas. 

Although  it  was  after  midnight,  about  as  many 
natives   were   abroad   as   when  we   had   passed   before. 

Passing  a  church,  we  all  alighted,  to  find  the  door 
open  and  nobody  in  attendance  but  ourselves.  The 
room  was  bare,  except  about  the  altar.  A  single  candle 
dimly  lighted  the  tomb-like  edifice. 

Arrived  at  the  Landing  at  1  a.m.,  we  paid  the  drivers 
fifty  cents  for  each  passenger  and  then  explained  that  we 
wanted  to  visit  one  of  their  houses.  We  were  at  once 
conducted  to  a  typical  shack,  and  shown  into  one  of  the 
rooms  which  it  boasted.  In  the  other  the  wife  and  two 
children  were  asleep.  While  they  were  being  herded  up 
by  the  father,  who  proved  to  be  a  regular  Yankee  for 
trading,  we  examined  everything  the  dim  kerosene  lamp 
would  discover,  nor  did  we  hesitate  to  move  it  about  as 
we  pleased. 

There  were  three  chairs,  a  table  and  a  rude,  hewn 
settee.  The  chairs  and  tables  were  machine-made, 
cane-seated,  of  the  same  dark  wood  I  have  before 
described. 

Evidently  we  had  found  a  prosperous  native;  and 
he  had  an  American  bicycle,  made  in  Chicago,  which 
rested  against  one  of  the  walls. 

The  only  ornaments  on  the  walls  were  two  Japanese 
prints  of  landscapes,  set  in  cheap,  hand-made  frames, 
about  six  by  four  inches.  For  one  of  these  I  paid  half 
a  dollar.  By  this  time  the  three  sleepers  had  appeared, 
and  we  found  the  mother  a  cleanly  native,  good  natured 

ill 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IS   NINETY  DAYS 

and  responsive  to  the  great  interesl  M is.  ( hamberlin  dis- 
played in  her.  They  sat  down  side  by  side,  on  the  settee, 
and  the  native  looked  at  all  of  her  companion's  attire,  in 
minute  detail,  smiling  confidently  it'  the  latter  looked 
at  her,  l>ut  none  abashed;  just  honestly,  kindly  curious, 
that  is  all. 

The  children  were  not  over  five  or  six,  a  boy  and  a 
girl.  They  were  in  short  shirts  that  were  seldom  below 
the  waist  as  they  clung  to  their  mother  and  sniffled  with 
the  head  colds  that  seemed  to  be  almost  universal  among 
the  natives  we  saw. 

The  father  showed  us  some  deer  heads,  one  of  which 
1  purchased  for  seventy-five  cents. 

I  inspected  the  kitchen  utensils  and  purchased 
several  large  spoons,  the  bowls  of  which  were  whittled 
from  cocoanuts.  The  wooden  handles  were  attached 
with  bits  of  bark.  We  showed  so  much  interest  in 
everything  that  the  mistress  of  the  shack  presented  her 
lady  caller  with  a  small  nipa  basket,  which  she  had 
herself  made,  she  signed.  There  being  nothing  else  that 
we  wanted  we  arose,  shook  hands,  the  family  said 
"Good-bye"  and  we  went  down  the  ladder  to  the  ground. 

Upon  the  little  wharf  we  found  our  crewr  asleep, 
stretched  out  on  the  hard  boards  under  the  full  moon, 
lying  in  all  sorts  of  positions.  At  one-thirty  we  clam- 
bered up  the  "Sherman's"  gangway,  left  our  fruit  to  be 
sent  to  the  ice-box  and  separated  for  the  night,  a  tired 
but  still  hilarious  outfit. 

Before  retiring  I  asked  my  companion  to  step 
with  me  around  to  the  port  side  where  we  were  lashed  to 
the  "Supply"  to  see  what  was  going  on  aboard  her. 
Most  of  her  men  were  asleep  on  the  decks.  It  was 
almost  as  light  as  day  with  the  moon  and  electric  lights 
still  ablaze.  Some  slept  in  hammocks,  some  on  bales  of 
merchandise  which  we  had  brought,  but  the  most  of 
them  lay  on  the  bare  deck. 

Suddenly  we  saw  "the  Prince"  ahead  of  us  seated 
on  a  camp-stool,  outside  his  stateroom,  his  head  bent 
forward  on  his  breast,  fast  asleep,  to  all  indications. 

I  signed  to  my  companion  to  walk  silently  so  as  not 

112 


A  NIGHT  IN  GUAM 

to  disturb  his  slumbers,  of  which  he  was  surely  in  need, 
and  we  started  to  edge  behind  him.  When  we  were 
about  ten  feet  away  he  suddenly  arose,  moved  to  the  rail 
and  started  to  climb  up  over  it.  I  was  never  more 
amazed  in  all  my  life.  If  Mrs.  Chamberlin  had  not 
cried,  "Stop  him!"  I  doubt  if  I  should  have  been  in  time, 
for  I  didn't  particularly  like  him,  and  he  was  over- 
balanced when  I  got  him  by  the  nape  of  his  neck  and 
drew  him  back.  In  three  seconds  he  would  have  been 
in  the  water  between  the  ships. 

How  strongly  the  mind  works!  He  was  headed 
for  the  "supply." 

A  vigorous  shaking  was  administered,  and  advice 
given  that  he  should  go  to  his  bunk.  But  only  maudlin 
responses  could  be  secured,  so,  while  I  stood  guard,  my 
better-half  went  for  the  watchman  who  soon  came  and 
compelled  the  inebriated  man  to  go  to  bed. 

This  was  the  last  adventure,  and  at  nine-thirty  the 
next  morning  we  drew  away  from  the  "Supply"  and 
started  on  the  last  lap  of  our  long  voyage,  five  days  to 
Manila,  during  the  last  two  of  which  we  would  be  close 
to  land  —  Luzon. 


1 1 3 


CHAPTER  VII 


NEARING  THE  END 

From  Guam  to  Manila  is  1400  miles.  But  as  we 
sel  sail  for  our  last  port,  that  Wednesday  morning, 
July  27th,  we  were  comparatively  light-hearted,  for 
on  the  next  Sunday  morning  we  would  be  in  sight  of  the 
Philippines. 

For  those  of  us  who  had  been  ashore  the  preceding 
night  the  remainder  of  the  journey  was  even  shorter, 
for  we  did  not  recover  from  the  experience  until 
the  second  day.  The  heat  was  now  at  its  height.  The 
first  noon  after  leaving  Guam,  the  glass  climbed  to 
89°,  the  next  day  it  was  87°,  the  next  86°,  and  the  next, 
Saturday,  87°. 

On  these  nights  more  slept  on  deck  than  at  any 
other  period  and  still  the  fact  was  that  this  was  a  record 
breaking  voyage  as  to  heat;  that  is,  it  was  wonderfullv 
cool.  The  officers  of  the  ship  who  had  made  the 
journey  a  number  of  times  united  in  saying  that  they 
recollected  no  such  low  temperature;  that,  as  a  rule, 
everybody  slept  on  the  decks  after  leaving  Honolulu. 
EveD  in  the  worst  heat,  I  doubt  if  over  a  score  of  those 
accommodated  on  the  promenade  deck  ever  passed  the 
night  outside  their  rooms.  Down  on  the  main  deck, 
however,  it  was  very  different.  Scores  lay  stretched  out 
on  the  hard  boards.  A  number  of  ladies  lay  on  the 
hatchway.  Practically  everybody  between  decks  aban- 
doned their  rooms  at  this  time,  both  day  and  night. 

Nothing  else  was  possible.  An  hour  spent  down 
two  decks  searching  for  some  photographs  so  exhausted 
me  that  I  did  not  recover  that  day.  At  the  slightest 
exertion  in  the  middle  of  the  day  one  profusely  perspired. 
The  Sewing  Circle  met,  however,  as  usual,  as  did  the 
".500"  crowd,  and  the  crocheting  class. 

Now    the    food    was    becoming    soft    and    flabby. 

114 


NEARING   THE  EX  I) 


Many  of  us  depended  upon  the  soups  and  the  nightly 
supply  of  sandwiches  and  coffee. 

One  of  the  passengers,  a  German,  was  in  the 
Philippine  Constabulary.  He  was  very  fond  of  chess, 
when  he  won,  and  was  very  excitable.  When  he  had 
decided  upon  the  decisive  move  in  a  game  that  was 
attracting  much  attention,  he  was  so  elated  at  the  glimpse 
of  his  triumph  that  he  lost  his  head  and  picked  his  Queen 
off  the  board,  threw  it  overboard  and  put  his  lighted 


The  Sewing  Circle  Meets 

cigar  stub  in  its  place  in  the  game.  You  may  well 
imagine  there  was  a  shout  of  glee  from  many  a  strong 
throat,  and  the  poor  German  was  so  mortified  thai  he 
abandoned  the  contest  and  thereafter  steadfastly  refused 
to  play,  while  his  sensitive  nature'  was  made  miserable 
by  his  tormenting  companions,  even  to  the  last  hour  oi 
the  voyage. 

In  these  final  hours  the  love  affairs,  the  scandals, 
the  resentments  aroused  at  cards,  the   social   strivings 

I  15 


AROl  \l>    I  III.   WORLD  l\  NINETY  DAYS 

were  merged  in  ;>  feeling  <>t  exhilaration  at  the  realiza- 
tion  that  we  were  soon  to  be  released. 

Up  from  below  came  the  trunks  of  the  favorites. 
These,  in  the  cooler  air  of  the  setting  sun,  repacked  the 
various  gowns  in  which  they  had  tried  to  outshine  some 
other  rank  one. 

Those  who  <li<l  not  have  favor  in  high  places  were 
obliged  to  descend  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  between  decks, 
where  they  reeled  and  sweltered  in  a  hundred  degrees 
of  heat.  Packing  trunks  under  such  circumstances  was 
net  an  enjoyment. 

Sailors  carry  their  belongings  in  huge  cylindrical 
canvas  bags,  that,  stood  on  end,  are  about  four  feet  high. 
They  may  be  fastened  with  a  rope  that  runs  through 
brass  eyelets  set  around  the  top.  They  furnish  the  best 
carry-all  I  have  ever  seen  and  we  gladly  accepted  the  first 
officer's  proffer  of  his,  and  our  accumulations  of  the  past 
month  were  such  that  it  was  filled  to  the  bursting  point. 

All  day  this  Sunday  we  were  in  sight  of  the  Philip- 
pines. The  island  of  Samar,  covered  with  green  hills, 
i-  the  first  one  seen,  to  the  southward.  Then  Bulusan 
volcano,  on  Luzon,  at  the  entrance  to  the  San  Bernar- 
dino Straits,  through  which  we  were  to  run  for  thirty 
hours,  loomed  up,  conical  and  regular,  surrounded  by  a 
column  of  smoke  that  rose  skyward  into  the  gathering 
clouds  of  the  sunset. 

At  five  o'clock  we  reached  the  Straits,  finding  them 
about  five  miles  wide  at  their  mouth.  At  no  time  in  the 
rest  of  the  journey  were  we  more  than  that  from  land, 
•lust  as  we  entered  these  gaping  jaws  of  Samar  and 
Luzon,  the  sun  began  to  set  behind  Bulusan,  red- 
dening the  edges  of  the  banks  of  clouds  and  smoke  that 
lay  in  back  of  and  over  its  summit.  It  was  the  most 
gorgeous  sky  picture  I  have  ever  beheld.  Its  beauty, 
its  wonderful  marvellous  coloring  made  tears  appear  in 
some  eyes.     It   was  thrilling,  ennobling,  awe-inspiring. 

All  Monday  we  moved  along  in  the  straits,  often 
within  a  mile  of  the  shore,  much  of  which  was  rugged 
but  laden  with  bright  green  foliage.  Hour  after  hour 
the  beautiful  panorama  unfolded.     Little  towns  nestled 

116 


NEARINO   THE  END 

by  the  water.  Often  a  vessel  passed,  some  inter-island 
boat.  Mindoro,  with  mountains  over  eight  thousand 
feet  in  elevation,  wTas  close  on  the  port  side. 

In  the  afternoon  we  could  see  the  town  and  dome 
of  the  church  of  Batangas,  and  far  inland  could  be  made 
out  the  summit  of  Taal  volcano  which  from  its  home  in 
the  middle  of  the  lake  of  the  same  name,  suddenly 
sent  up  a  cylindrical  column  of  light  smoke.  At  four- 
thirty  we  passed  Cape  Santiago,  where  the  telegraph 
lines  begin,  and  we  knew  that  Manila  was  aware 
that  we  were  only  seventy  miles  away  as  we  entered 
Manila  Bay.  That  message  was  awaited  by  many  an 
anxious  one  in  Manila  and  in  America.  Just  at  dusk 
the  foregoing  chapter  on  the  Midways  was  finished,  and 
I  laid  aside  my  work  for  the  first  time  since  San  Francisco. 
It  had  been  a  hard  month  in  which  to  do  hard  work. 

Now  we  were  approaching  historic  ground.  Soon 
rugged  old  Corregidor,  by  which  Dewey  crept  so  cau- 
tiously, lay  off  to  port  and,  when  the  evening  blackness 
shut  down,  and  we  saw  only  little  glimering  lights  here 
and  there  it  was  with  something  of  enthusiasm  that  I 
duplicated  the  particulars  of  the  approach  our  great 
naval  hero  had  made  to  these  very  shores;  aye,  in  this 
very  track  in  which  we  were  moving. 

When  we  dropped  anchor  off  the  Luneta  it  was  in 
half  a  gale  and  within  an  hour  of  midnight.  Besides 
the  long  rows  of  lights  on  the  water's  edge  and  here  and 
there  a  stray  house  gleam,  little  could  be  discovered  of 
the  city  before  which  we  swung,  and,  except  for  the 
various  colored  signals  from  a  score  of  waiting  shipping, 
the  scene  was  dismal  enough  in  the  rain.  Nobody 
could  land  till  the  doctor  had  seen  us  at  seven  the  next 
morning  and  nobody,  could,  before  that  time,  board  us. 
What  this  delay  at  this  last  moment  of  our  journey 
meant  to  the  wives,  sweethearts,  mothers  and  children 
we  brought  with  us,  who  had  conic  to  join  the  loved 
ones  from  whom,  in  some  eases,  they  had  been  separated 
for  years,  may  be  more  readily  inquired  than  described. 
There  were  children  with  us  who  had  never  been  seen 
by  their  fathers.     There  were  wives  who  had  not   seen 

117 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  TN  NINETY  DATS 

their  soldier  husbands  for  three  years.  It'  one  wore  not 
made  of  iron  he  could  not  see  these  anxious,  Waiting 
tare-  stare  off  toward  Manila  with  the  tears  gathering  in 
their  eyes,  without  a  sob  in  his  own  throat. 

We  had  an  angel  with  us.  She  was  a  delicate  little 
body  that  disease  had  bruised  long  years  ago,  and  im- 
posed a  crutch  and  everlasting  pain.  The  crosses  these 
Dad  made  her  to  hear  had  made  her  so  patient,  so  calm, 
-..  sympathetic,  that  her  soul  was  in  her  face,  in  her 
frank,  kindly  smile. 

After  many  a  year  of  siege  she  had  yielded  her 
lite  to  a  big,  strong,  generous,  high-minded  officer  of  our 
army.  She  had  tried  to  follow  her  husband  as  long  as 
she  could,  but  the  little  crutch  detained  her  by  the  way, 
and  illness  had.  two  years  before,  compelled  her  return 
from  the  Philippines  to  the  States.  Now,  stronger,  she 
had  come  hack  to  him.  Can  you  imagine  what  was  in 
her  heart  as  she  leaned  on  the  rail,  when  ceased  the 
monotonous  throb  of  the  engines  and  the  huge  anchor 
splashed  into  the  mud,  and  she  knew  that  her  husband 
was  in  that  city  whose  lights  were  only  a  quarter  mile 
away,  and  she  could  not  grasp  his  hand  till  the  next 
morning?  At  times  it  seemed  as  if  her  little  arms  tried 
tn  stretch  out  over  the  black  waters  to  him  who  must  be 
there  among  those  lights. 

Soon,  across  the  bay  tossed  a  red  light  and  around 
the  stern  bobbed  in  the  gale,  the  rain  and  the  huge  seas, 
a  little  launch  that  halted  some  fifty  feet  away,  for  it 
was  dangerous  to  come  nearer,  we  were  rolling  so. 

The  little  crutch  flew  to  where  the  launch  was 
Dearest.  'There  he  is!  There  he  is!"  she  cried. 
Then  out  called  a  strong  voice  through  a  long  mega- 
phone. "Is  Mrs.  H-  there?"  That  was  she.  I 
lifted  her  up  on  a  chair  that  he  might  see  her.  'Yes! 
Yes!  Here  I  am!  Here  I  am!"  she  could  only  say 
through  the  choking  tears.  I  doubt  if  he  could  hear  her 
small  voice,  above  the  whistling  gale,  but  he  could 
surely  see  the  little  white  figure  on  the  crutch,  franti- 
tically  waving  a  bit  of  lace. 

There    was    another   voice    from    the    cockle-shell. 

lis 


NEARING   THE  END 

A  young  mother,  holding  up  a  manly  little  son  whom  his 
father  had  seen  only  as  a  baby,  three  years  before, 
pushed  to  the  rail. 

From  these  scenes  my  interest  centered  upon  lights 
that  shone,  close  to  the  water,  some  miles  to  starboard. 
That  was  Cavite,  and  between  where  we  lay  and  those 
lights  had  been  fought  out  one  of  the  few  battles  that 
largely  changed  all  the  maps  then  in  existence. 


ill) 


CHAPTER   VIII 


THE   FILIPINOS 

You  may  be  sure  that  everybody  on  the  "Sherman" 
was  early  awake  the  next  morning. 

We  were  in  the  Orient.  Paddling  all  about  us  in 
dug-outs  with  outriggers,  were  lightly  elad  Chinese, 
Japanese  and  Filipinos,  squatting  low  down,  surmounted 
often  with  the  huge,  circular,  bamboo,  peaked  hats 
that  you  would  expect  to  find  there.  There  was  a  ses- 
sion with  the  custom  officials  that  consumed  half  an 
hour  and  sorely  tried  the  patience.  There  were  hurried 
good-byes,  tips  to  the  servants,  struggles  by  a  number 
of  us  to  secure  the  services  of  a  poor  deck  boy,  all  at  one 
time.  Everybody  was  excited,  especially  when  the  boats 
began  to  come  from  Manila  and  reunite  long  separated 
families. 

By  good  luck  and  as  a  return  for  courtesies  we  had 
extended  to  a  soldier's  mother  who  was  traveling  alone, 
we  were  first  to  leave  for  shore.  A  smart  little  Custom 
House  launch  landed  us  near  the  Magellan  statue,  an 
indifferent  memorial  to  that  great  navigator,  the  first 
Caucasian  to  visit  these  lands.  Two  steel-tired  car- 
romatas  (local  carriages)  low  conveyances,  each  drawn 
by  a  pony  that  weighed  say,  four  hundred  pounds,  were 
found  by  our  escort  and  soon  the  ladies,  with  the  bag- 
gage, were  started  for  the  Hotel  Bay  ViewT — at  any  rate 
the  driver  was  so  directed, — where  we  had  been  promised 
board  and  room  for  $21  per  week,  each.  One  of  the 
ladies  knew  a  little  Tagalog  (pronounced  Ta-gal'-og) 
and  it  was  upon  her  that  we  depended  to  govern  the 
little  brown  brother  who  acted  as  their  driver.  Either 
of  them  could  easily  have  spanked  him,  but  I  must 
admit  that  as  I  saw  them  move  awTay  I  felt  many  mis- 
givings. 

I  >hall  attempt  no  detailed  description  of  the  capi- 

120 


THE  FILIPINOS 

tal  of  the  Philippines,  further  than  to  say  that  it  is  a 
rambling  town  with  twenty-five-foot  streets  in  the 
busiest  centres,  paved  often  with  rough  cobblestones. 

The  architecture  of  the  most  expensive  buildings 
is  all  of  the  Spanish  school,  low-studded,  of  only  two  or 
three  stories,  with  many  little  balconies.  It  was  a  com- 
mon thing  to  see  a  room  all  open  except  at  the  corners 
and  up  to  the  height  of  the  waist.  Split  bamboo  curtains 
were  all  that  were  used  to  close  these  huge  open  spaces, 
so  that,  when  seated  in  one  of  these  rooms  it  was  like 
being  on  a  covered  piazza. 

Many  people  crowd  the  main  thoroughfares.  All 
Caucasians  and  all  others  well-to-do  wear  white  duck 
suits.  In  the  Orient  these  cost  about  $1.50  apiece,  and 
one  orders  them  by  the  half-dozen  or  dozen.  Not  in- 
frequently white  silk  ones  are  seen. 

The  city  is  thoroughly  cosmopolitan,  Chinese, 
naked  to  the  waist,  Japanese,  Indians  with  huge  red 
turbans,  Englishmen  in  white  helmets,  Filipinos, 
Spaniards — scowling  at  us — dress  and  undress — all 
degrees  of  all  races  jostle  each  other  with  no  thought  of 
how  strange  is  the  scene  to  the  unaccustomed  visitor. 
Weak-backed,  fallen-chested,  stoop-shouldered,  native 
policemen  were  often  passed,  presenting  a  sorry  con- 
trast to  some  of  the  American  police  who  are  placed  at 
the  more  important  locations.  These  American  Manila 
policemen  are  splendid  fellows,  all  ex-soldiers,  none 
others  being  eligible.  Their  uniform,  as  is  that  of  the 
natives,  is  substantially  the  present  olive  drab  of  our 
own  army. 

Snail-like  caraboas,  dragging  low  carts  on  which 
half  recline  sleepy  drivers,  met  one  often.  We  were  in 
the  country  of  bare  feet,  or,  at  most,  the  heeless  slipper 
but  stockings  —  never.  Everything  and  everybody 
moved  slowly  in  the  heat  which  began  to  be  strongly 
felt  by  ten  o'clock.  If  extra  exertion  were  made,  the 
perspiration  appeared  in  little  beads.  We  soon  found 
that  if  you  desire  comfort  you  must  not  move  in  the  E;isi ; 
and  that  if  you  do  not  move,  you  will  soon  be  ill. 

No  alert  American  should  be  expected  to  keep  his 

121 


AROi  M>    THE   WORLD   IX   NINETY  DAYS 

temper  in  transacting  business  in  Manila.  Nobody 
knows  anything  beyond  his  own  walls.  For  example, 
no  steamsnip  company  could  give  me  any  information 
at  all  about  the  sailings  of  others,  and  I  soon  saw  that 
1  could  not  decide  under  an  entire  day  the  steamer 
question  a  problem  which  in  New  York  or  Boston, 
could  have  been  easily  decided  in  fifteen  minutes,  so  we 
rode  down  the  Malecon  Drive,  the  only  attractive  road 
in  Manila,  toward  the  famous  Luneta  or  square  where  the 
hand  played  nightly.  This  Malecon  Drive  runs  parallel 
with  the  sea  shore  and  hut  a  few  yards  from  it. 


Malecon  Drive 

The  Luneta  is  an  oblong  grassy  common,  say  three 
hundred  yards  long  and  half  as  wide,  with  the  sea  break- 
ing in  on  it  from  the  southward.  The  only  structure 
of  any  kind  within  this  park  was  the  bandstand  in  the 
centre. 

Across  the  Luneta  we  rode  and  a  hundred  yards 
beyond  alighted  at  a  three-story  building  against  which 
and  under  which  the  sea  broke,  for  the  edifice  was  half 
on  pilings.  Rooms  had  been  secured  by  the  women  of 
our  party  and   we  were  at  once  initiated  into  the  best 

122 


THE  FILIPINOS 

hotel  Manila  affords.  I  think  I  require  as  little  as  any- 
body, but  I  defy  anybody  to  live  in  a  Manila  hotel  and 
be  content.  The  prices  for  everything  are  awe-inspiring, 
and  what  you  secure  for  your  money  is  the  least,  I 
believe,  that  the  world  affords.  The  table  --  Heavens! 
What  food  we  did  have!  To  begin,  the  flies  were  in 
swarms.  I  doubt  if  there  was  ever  a  moment  during  a 
repast  which  we  tried  to  eat  when  there  were  not  over  a 
hundred  flies  on  our  table.  They  covered  the  very 
bread  you  were  hastily  transferring  to  your  lips. 

No  meat  grown  in  the  islands  is  fit  for  an 
American  table,  so  all  is  brought  from  Australia  or  from 
America.  But  the  total  absence  of  milk  is  what  upsets 
the  usual  American  appetites.  Just  think  of  it  - 
there's  not  a  cow  in  the  Philippine  Islands!  The  only 
milk  obtainable  is  that  of  the  tin  can!  Imagine  the  ice- 
cream! Often  it  is  impossible  to  secure  enough  pala- 
table food  to  make  a  solid  meal.  Rice  and  curry, 
usually  chicken,  is  the  staple  food,  and  we  were  told  that 
if  we  would  confine  ourselves  to  that  for  so  long  as  we 
were  in  the  East  we  would  have  no  trouble.  The  only 
fruit  available  was  the  banana,  a  small,  inferior  article 
compared  with  what  we  have  here  at  home.  The  fre- 
quent sight  of  lizards  of  a  length  of  some  four  or  five 
inches,  crawling  up  the  wall  beside  one  did  not  tend  to 
accentuate  one's  pleasure. 

Our  room  was  large,  on  the  third  floor.  There 
was  no  elevator.  The  beds  were  surrounded  with 
mosquito  netting  hung  from  a  canopy  above.  There  were 
no  mattresses,  only  a  cotton-batting  pad  about  half 
an  inch  thick  thrown  onto  a  cane  laced  bottom.  On 
this  pad  was  a  nipa  (straw)  mat,  and  on  this  was  placed 
the  under  sheet.  A  space  as  large  as  three  ordinary 
windows  was  open  to  the  outer  air,  protected,  if  desired 
by  unrolling  the  bamboo  curtain  that  hung  from  the 
ceiling.  In  case  of  violent  storm,  too,  windows  of  glass 
could  be  moved  from  either  side.  There  were  some  five 
or  six  rooms  only  on  each  floor.  As  there  were,  how- 
ever, a  row  of  similar  houses  adjoining  which  were  used 
as  annexes,  the  proprietor  could  accommodate,  say,  ;i 

123 


AKOrXJJ    THE   WORLD   IS   NINETY  DAYS 

hundred.  The  only  thing  resembling  a  bath  was  a 
single  shower  for  either  sex,  and  a  large  tin  pan  for  a  tub. 

It"  the  hell  boy  I  Filipino)  were  to  be  called,  that  was 
done  by  stepping  into  the  hall  and  clapping  the  hands. 
The  laundryman  was  a  Chinese  outsider,  who  always 
overcharged  and  then  lied  about  it.  Filipino  boys  were 
the  chambermaids  and  the  dining  room  servants  were 
Chinamen,  all  in  white,  with  long  black  cues  hanging  to 
their  knees. 

After  lunch  my  army  companion  called  up  the 
Army  and  Navy  Club  for  a  rubber  tired  carromata.  If 
one  i->  registered  on  the  books  of  that  institution,  the 
best  conveyances  in  town  may  be  secured  at  fifty  cents 
per  hour,  thirty-three  and  a  third  percent,  less  in  price 
than  the  public  charges  for  poorer  service.  If  one  be  so 
unfortunate  as  to  be  denied  this  advantage  he  must 
depend  upon  the  public  conveniences.  For  these  the 
advertising  pamphlet  of  the  Bay  View  says:  "The 
drivers  are  lazy,  their  vehicles  usually  very  dilapidated, 
and  the  ponies  slow  and  balky."  -and  the  description 
is  mild     -  much  milder  than  any  I  ever  heard. 

A  number  of  these  Army  and  Navy  outfits  include 
American  horses,  and  the  way  the  native  boys  drive 
them  is  dangerous  for  the  driver  and  for  the  passenger  if 
the  latter  be  anything  of  a  horseman.  The  former  is  in 
peril  of  a  runaway;  the  latter  in  danger  of  murdering 
the  driver.  I  never  saw  in  the  East  a  native  who  knew 
how  to  drive  a  horse.  The  means  employed  to  ensure 
progress  are  usually  a  jerk  at  the  reins,  a  cut  with  the 
whip,  and  the  grunt  described  as  a  feature  of  our  Guam 
experience.  These  performances  occur  about  every 
minute  of  the  ride  and  the  American  horses  are  all 
ready  to  bolt  most  of  the  time,  while  the  native  ponies 
refuse  to  move  except  at  intervals.  Always  a  balky  horse 
is  in  sight. 

Next  we  drove  to  the  (  nstom  House  where  we  had  a 
trunk  and  my  soldier's  mother  had  three.  I  stated  my 
name  in  answer  to  an  inquiry  for  it,  and  w'as  astonished 
at  being  notified  that  my  baggage  was  ordered  to  be 
passed    without   examination.     I   had   arrived.     Some- 

124 


THE  FILIPINOS 


body  in  the  United  States  had  awakened.  I  im- 
mediately passed  all  of  the  trunks  of  my  friend's  mother 
as  part  of  my  baggage,  which  almost  caused  my  com- 
panion  to  swoon  and  the  inspector  to  smile,  and  we  soon 
saw  our  belongings  on  a  cart  headed  for  the  Bay  View. 
The  rest  of  the  day  I  spent  in  visiting  the  steamship 
offices. 

All  I  had  determined  was  that  we  could  not  safely 
go  to  Japan  if  I  were  to  keep  my  word  and  be  in  Newr 
York  Oct.  1.     It  was  just  at  this  time  that  the  Russians 


One  hundred  feet  from  best  hotel  in  Manila 

and  Japanese  were  busily  engaged  in  ransacking  such  ves- 
sels as  they  chose  for  contraband,  and  all  sailing  dales 
to  and  from  Japan  were  cancelled  in  Manila.  No  com- 
pany would  promise  that  it  would  ever  get  us  back,  il* 
we  succeeded  in  reaching  the  Mikado's  property. 
Under  such  circumstanes  we  had  no  choice;  but  the 
consequent  disappointment  was  poignant. 

In  the  evening  Mrs.  C.  and  I  walked  mil  alone  to 
see  the  neighborhood.     We  were  surrounded  by  native 

125 


AROl  M>    THE   WORLD   IS  NINETY  DAYS 

shacks,  one  of  which  was  on  a  corner  diagonal  from  our 
hotel,  and  not  over  fifty  yards  away. 

There  were  also,  in  tins  part  of  the  city,  the  more 
modern  residences  of  Americans.  Many  of  them  were 
guarded  from  the  street  by  stone  walls  fully  six  feet  in 
height.  As  a  ride  the  front  yard  was  a  flower  garden. 
Each  Dative  hut  showed  a  lighted  lantern  in  front  of  it, 
a  universal  regulation  which  our  rule  demands. 

The  streets  were  deserted,  but  there  was  much  to 
see,  as  the  inmates  of  the  houses,  as  a  rule,  did  not  pull 
down  their  bamboo  curtains. 

As  we  were  nearing  the  hotel  we  heard  a  soft  voice 
singing  and  by  a  glance  through  an  open  window  we 
saw  a  native  mother  rocking  her  baby  to  sleep  in  a  rude, 
hand-made  cradle,  beside  which  she  sat,  slowly  waving 
the  insects  from  the  little  dark  face  that  lay  against  the 
white  pillow.  Except  for  the  color  of  the  participants, 
the  strangeness  of  the  song  which,  while  weird,  was  yet 
plainly  a  lullaby,  the  scene  was  that  of  New  England. 

At  five  in  the  evening  all  Manila  rides  to  the  Luneta 
that  can.  The  rest  walk,  and  when  the  band  of  one  of 
our  regiments,  or  of  the  Constabulary  or  Scouts,  begins 
to  play  at  five-thirty  hundreds  of  carromatas  stand 
about  the  plaza,  and  here  one  is  sure  to  see  all  the  friends 
he  has  in  the  city.  The  concert  lasts  about  an  hour; 
and  if  vou  lie  on  the  grass,  or  are  not  verv  careful  about 
the  settee  upon  which  you  may  station  yourself,  you  will 
be  overrun  with  red  ants  who  will  fix  your  attention 
far  more  than  the  band  or  the  throng;  and  I  speak  from 
sad  experience.  In  the  various  regimental  bands  we 
saw,  nearly  half  the  muscians  must  have  been  Filipinos 
and  they  seemed  to  be  very  earnest  and  efficient,  evi- 
dently trying  their  best  all  the  while. 

At  dinner  the  Americans,  both  sexes,  affect  full 
dress,  and  the  spectacle  of  many  a  poor  government 
employee  who  never  owned  a  dress  suit  at  home,  now, 
in  far  away  Luzon,  copying  the  imagined  rules  of  high 
society,  high  handshakes  and  all,  is  not  uncommon. 
Here  he  rides  in  a  carromata.  At  home  he  never  rode 
in  a  carriage,  unless  on  the  top  of  one  on  Fifth  Avenue. 

126 


THE  FILIPIXOS 

Women  of  poor  education,  suddenly  elevated  into  this 
high  society,  appear  in  pink  ribbons,  bows  and  sashes 
that,  on  the  stage  at  home,  would  bring  a  screech  of 
amusement.  As  long  as  the  arms  and  neck  are  bared, 
these  poor  people  imagine  they  are  doing  something. 

Army  officers  in  white  uniforms,  with  their  wives, 
bareheaded  and  decollete,  without  wraps,  are  often  seen 
in  expensive  barouches  looking  as  if  they  had  recently 
inherited  all  the  Standard  Oil  money.  They  look  so 
much  like  rich  people  that  they  recalled  a  remark  made 
by  General  Howard  to  a  young  man  who  was  very 
fashionably  dressed.  We  were  all  three  in  an  elevated 
train  in  New  York,  when  the  General,  pointing  to  the 
gentleman  said,  "I  gave  that  boy's  father  his  start  in 
life."  The  young  man  turned  and  introducing  himself, 
inquired  if  my  companion  were  not  General  Howard. 
"O,  yes,"  the  one-armed  hero  replied,  "I  remember 
you  perfectly.  But  you  looked  so  much  like  a  rich 
man  that  I  didn't  dare  speak  to  you ! " 

The  first  night  at  Manila  showed  to  us  what  was  in 
the  future.  One  could  sleep,  but  not  rest.  In  the 
morning  there  is  no  feeling  of  returned  vitality.  Energy 
is  at  the  same  ebb  tide  that  it  was  the  night  before. 
The  bed  clothing,  only  a  sheet,  is  damp.  The  leather 
shoes  you  left  beside  your  door  last  night  to  be  cleaned 
are  covered  with  a  green  mould  before  "boots"  attacks 
them.  When  you  rise  and  begin  to  dress  you  find  that 
your  garments  are  damp  with  a  clammy  chill  that  is  far 
from  agreeable.  Photograph  films  must  be  guarded 
from  the  dampness  with  the  greatest  care,  for,  if  ex- 
posed they  will  quickly  spoil. 

At  about  seven  on  that  first  morning  I  arose  and 
looked  from  the  window.  Directly  beneath  were  a 
native  man  and  woman,  seated  on  their  heels,  in  Oriental 
style,  upon  a  rock  by  the  sea,  gazing  silently  out  over 
its  depths,  as  if  wrapt  in  contemplation  of  what  lay  be- 
yond its  great  distances.  For  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they 
thus  perched,  without  a  word  or  movement.  Two  or 
three  native  boys  rode  horses  into  the  serf,  ;i  mother 
pushed  into  the  waves,  accompanied  by  two  little  naked 

127 


AROrXD    THE   WORLD   /  X   NINETY  DATS 

children,  while  across  the  streel  another  mother  was 
pouring  water  in  tin  canfuls  over  the  naked  form  of  a 
boy  of  probably  seven  or  eight.  Jn  the  annex,  fifty  feel 
a\\  ay,  an  American,  a  government  clerk,  was  playing  with 
two  monkeys  which  were  chained  to  his  window  seat. 
A  Chinaman  hol>l>led  up  to  a  hydrant,  filled  two  pails 
brimming  full  of  water  and  then  trotted  away  without 
spilling  a  drop,  with  his  heavy  load  dangling,  one  pail 
from  cither  end  of  the  flexible  stick  that  rested  on  his 
shoulder  behind  his  neck.  The  amount  of  bulk  and 
weight  a  Chinaman  can  carry  by  this  arrangement  is 
marvellous.  It  is  a  common  tiling  to  see  two  of  these 
men  trotting  along  the  main  streets  with  a  modern 
upright  piano  swung  between  them. 

The  second  day  was  strictly  devoted  to  solving  the 
home-going  puzzle.  The  differences  between  the  prices 
of  various  routes  to  America  via  Suez  were  remarkable, 
varying  forty  per  cent.  But  at  last  I  chose  the  North 
German  Lloyd  line,  whose  steamer  would  leave  Hong 
Kong  on  the  seventeenth  instant,  which  would  land  us  at 
Naples  on  the  thirteenth  of  September.  This  neces- 
sitated our  departure  for  China  on  the  thirteenth,  the 
second  Saturday,  ten  days  later.  From  Naples  we  could 
proceed  slowly  across  Europe  to  Bremen  where  on  the 
twentieth  we  could  catch  the  Kaiser  Wilhelm  II.  That 
would  permit  us  to  reach  New  York  on  the  twenty-seventh 
of  September.  The  fare  to  Southampton  was  $340.  To 
New  York  it  was  only  $320,  so  I  have  calculated  that 
our  vogage  on  the  Kaiser  Wilhelm  II,  the  most  expen- 
sive steamer  afloat,  cost  us  $20  less  than  nothing. 

You  will  understand  why  this  is  when  I  say  that 
there  are  half  a  dozen  lines  running  from  Asia  to  Eng- 
land, only  one  of  which  extends  to  America. 

This  day  we  were  introduced  to  the  rainy  season. 
"Sufficiency!"  Sam  Bernard  would  surely  remark. 
Out  of  a  clear  sky  the  water  tumbles  down  in  buckets. 
Everything  is  flooded.  Some  streets  become  lakes. 
Then  of  a  sudden  the  sun  appears.  From  May  1  to 
Oct.  1  this  is  the  average  climate,  each  year.     During 


128 


THE  FILIPINOS 

this  period,  the  rain  fall  averages  two-thirds  of  an  inch 
per  diem. 

Upon  inquiring  at  the  banks  again  for  funds  from 
home,  I  had  full  opportunity  to  see  how  a  silver  basis 
money  system  would  be  utterly  impossible  in  a  modern 
country.  The  counters  where  deposits  were  received 
were  about  four  feet  across,  waist  high.  Before  them 
on  the  floor,  were  nipa  bags,  about  a  foot  in  diameter 
and  half  as  tall,  piled  up  one  on  the  other  sometimes  as 
high  as  the  counter.  The  depositor  lifted  up  the  top 
bag,  unwound  the  string  that  tied  it  at  the  neck,  reversed 
it  and  emptied  a  great  flood  of  silver  dollars  on  the 
counter.  These  were  immediately  seized  by  a  teller 
who  piled  them  up  in  uniform  cylinders  before  him. 
Meantime  the  depositor  had  let  fall  another  shower  of 
silver,  and  so  the  work  went  on.  I  saw,  to  my  wonder- 
ment, a  deposit  made  from  scores  of  these  bags  which 
were  brought  into  the  bank  by  half  a  dozen  nearly  naked 
Chinese  coolies,  like  so  many  sacks  of  meal.  I  was 
obliged  to  remain  half  an  hour  and  but  a  small  fraction 
of  the  bags  had  then  been  opened.  The  head  cashier 
told  me  that  it  was  a  common  thing  for  three  or  even  four 
hours  to  be  employed  in  completing  a  large  deposit.  In 
the  particular  instance  which  I  was  watching  he  esti- 
mated that  the  work  would  consume  three  hours.  The 
amount  was  $60,000.  In  the  meantime  a  half-dozen 
other  depositors  were  emptying  their  sacks  on  the  coun- 
ter with  a  crash.  Attendants  were  handing  out  other 
bags  to  pay  cheques.  As  the  new  owner  received  the 
bags  he  deposited  them  on  the  floor,  one  on  top  of  the 
others,  and  then  loaded  them  onto  the  heads  or  shoulders 
of  his  servants  and  out  they  went,  through  the  crowded 
streets. 

I  drew  the  equivalent  of  $1,000  of  our  money,  and 
I  was  obliged  to  receive  six  hundred  bills,  as  the  dol- 
lar is  the  common  denomination  issued  by  the  local 
government,  and  the  bank  had  but  a  limited  supply  of 
Spanish  notes.  The  latter  were  larger  than  the  former. 
Nowr  count  out  six  hundred  bills  and  see  what  a  pre- 
dicament I  was  in.      I  had  no  one  pocket  that   would 

129 


AROUND    THE  WORLD   IX  NINETY  DAYS 

include  them  and  1  stuffed  them,  literally  in  handfuls, 
all  about  my  person  after  I  had  spent  fifteen  perspiring 
minutes  in  counting  and  reckoning  them. 

I  felt  outraged  and  uncomfortable,  with  these  great 
wads  of  paper  filling  every  pocket;  and  1  felt  no  better 
when,  arrived  at  the  steamer  office,  1  tried  to  count  out 
$640  t<>  pay  our  passages  to  New  York.  It  took  half  an 
hour  by  the  clock  to  accomplish  the  task.  Every  bill 
\\;i-  worth  only  half  of  its  face,  and  this  confused  the 
count :  the  various  piles  of  notes  became  intermingled; 
in  emptying  a  pocket,  some  of  the  bills  escaped  to  the 
floor  in  the  most  inaccessible  places,  a  la  collar-button; 
the  clerk  and  I  disagreed  on  the  contents  of  a  particular 
pile  all  this  in  a  temperature  of  about  95°  Fahr!— 
and  then  I  had  some  $400  to  take  to  the  hotel.  I  simply 
couldn't  remain  in  town  with  such  rolls  in  my  pockets, 
and  I  had  to  return  to  the  Bay  View  to  get  rid  of  that 
money.  For  the  first  time  in  my  existence  I  was 
tempted  to  throw  away  three  or  four  pockets  full  of 
money  just  to  be  free  of  it;  for  once  money  was  a 
distinct  nuisance. 

No  business  can  be  done  in  a  modern  sense,  by 
any  such  system  as  that. 

Everybody  smoked,  women,  children  and  all  — 
invariably  cigarettes.  I  also  noted  that  a  native  covers 
the  head  with  the  first  object  obtainable  when  coming 
into  the  sunshine.  When  rain  falls  it  is  a  common  sight 
to  see  natives  strolling  along  protected  by  huge  banana 
leaves  resting  on  their  shoulders.  All  that  is  required  is  to 
seize  a  leaf,  break  a  hole  for  the  head  to  pass  through, 
and  the  Filipino  is  about  as  well  guarded  against  rain  as 
one  of  our  soldiers  when  encased  in  his  rubber  poncho. 

In  Manila  one  frequently  hears  many  shoutings 
upon  passing  certain  buildings.  This  disturbance  is 
created  by  the  children  in  the  Spanish  schools,  who  shout 
their  lessons  aloud  when  committing  them  to  memory. 
The  result  of  a  hundred  lusty  young  school  children  at 
once  loudly  voicing  their  lessons  is  something  that  can- 
not fail  to  attract  Americans. 

In  a  critical  survey  of  the  Americans  I  saw,  I  found 

130 


THE  FILIPINOS 

that  many  of  them  had  become  listless  and  sallow. 
Officials  explained  to  me  that  all  of  our  race  must  leave 
the  Islands  every  three  years  for  a  period  of  at  least  three 
months.  Accordingly  all  government  employees  find 
their  vacations  and  terms  of  service  arranged  to  that  end. 
"  Filipinitis"  is  the  name  given  to  the  condition  into 
which  all  Americans  sooner  or  later  slide.  They  walk 
slowly.  The  memory  is  badly  affected.  Mine  was 
before  I  had  been  in  Manila  a  week;  and  that  faculty 
has  never  regained  its  former  acuteness.  Dysentery,  one 
enemy  man  cannot  meet  boldly,  becomes  dangerous. 
More  and  more  one  desires  to  lie  down.  Hour  after 
hour  the  formerly  energetic  American  is  content  to  loll 
about  and  talk  nothings  on  the  street  corners.  The 
habit  of  decisive  action  gives  way  before  the  continuous 
march  of  irresolution  and  soon  one  requires  a  day  to 
decide  what  before  would  have  consumed  less  than  ten 
minutes.  The  spring  leaves  one's  gait  and  now  it  is  all 
an  American  can  do  to  drag  one  foot  after  the  other. 
Sores  appear  on  the  bodies  of  many  and  sap  vitality. 
There  is  no  food  obtainable  that  the  appetite  relishes. 
The  fruit  is  unsafe  because  of  cholera  germs;  no  fresh 
vegetables  that  can  be  eaten  with  impunity  are  to  be 
had.  Colds  attack  those  who  have  reached  this  un- 
fortunate condition  and  are  far  more  dangerous  than  at 
home,  pneumonia  following  more  frequently  than  in  the 
States.  Everybody,  practically,  wears  a  flannel  pro- 
tector over  the  stomach.  This  is  about  the  first  pre- 
caution strangers  are  told  to  adopt.  If  this  warning  is 
not  heeded,  the  dampness  of  the  evening  will  soon  lead 
to  serious  difficulties. 

There  is  only  one  railroad  yet  in  the  Philippines. 
That  line  runs  directly  to  the  North  from  Manila  about 
one  hundred  miles  to  Dagupan.  Nearly  an  entire  day 
is  consumed  in  traversing  the  distance. 

Entire  streets  are  lined  with  Japanese  and  Chinese 
stores. 

In  fact,  over  half  of  the  stores  in  Manila,  which  is 
no  place  to  shop  for  anything  except  Manila  straw  hats, 

131 


AROUND    THE   WORLD   IX   NINETY  DAYS 

are  apparenth  conducted  by  1 1  i<v  two  yellow  races  from 
Uia. 

\^  to  their  reputation,  I  think  it  is  evident  and  de- 
cided thai  the  Japanese  merchants  arc  regarded  as  sly, 
tricky  and  unworthy  of  confidence.  Upon  the  other 
hand,  llic  Chinaman  is  regarded  as  honest  and  tlior- 
ouehlv  reliable. 

Late  Wednesday  came  this  message  from  an  army 
friend.  Lieut.  Carl  Stone,  formerly  of  the  Minnesota 
infantry  regiment  largely  recruited  from  the  University 
of  Minnesota.  He  is  now  of  the  Philippine  Scouts,  a 
part  of  our  army  establishment: 

I  .  S.  Signal  Corps,  Hi  nan,  Laguna,  Aug.  3,  '04. 
F.  Chamberlin, 

Hotel  Bay  View,  Manila. 

Make  every  effort  to  get  here  tomorrow  if  possible. 
Big  move.  I  will  be  in  the  field  and  out  of  reach  after 
fifth.  Stone. 

I  clapped  my  hands  for  the  German  porter,  an  ex- 
soldier  in  our  army  and  was  soon  informed  that  Binan 
(Binyan)  was  on  Laguna  de  Bay,  which  is  really  a 
large  lake  to  the  southeast  of  Manila,  between  which 
city  and  lake  flows  the  Pasig  River,  which  divides  Manila. 

I  determined  to  go,  and  was  up  at  five-thirty  pre- 
paring for  the  day.  The  porter  accompanied  me  to  the 
Tagadito,  which  was  really  a  large  tug  of  a  length  of 
about  one  hundred  feet.  Here  I,  indeed,  found  oppor- 
tunity to  study  the  Filipino.  I  was  set  down,  the  only 
white  person  aboard  except  three  Spanish  friars  in 
biown  cowls,  in  the  very  midst  of  several  hundred  Fili- 
pinos, half  of  them  men.  The  natives  plainly  detested 
the  friars.  There  were  not  over  half  a  dozen  chairs 
aboard.  These  were  set  forward,  and  all  occupied  by 
men  whom  I  judged  to  be  Chinese  merchants.  Their 
dress,  except  for  helmets,  was  essentially  European  in  all 
details.  There  were  a  dozen  or  so  of  bamboo  stools, 
of  such  height  as  we  usually  employ,  and  any  number 
of  lower  seats  which  were  not  over  eight  inches  in  height. 
It  was  these  last  that  the  natives  preferred. 

I  took  a  picture  of  a  better  class  of  native  and  his 

132 


My  nearest  Companion 


On  the  Wharf 


THE  FILIPINOS 

little  boy  who  sat  beside  me.  The  father  feared  the  son 
would  lose  his  hat. 

In  response  to  a  command  of  the  captain,  whose 
place  was  forward,  one  of  the  crew  brought  a  tall  stool 
for  me. 

On  the  wharf  was  an  interesting  group,  the  mother, 
strange  to  say,  being  the  only  one  smoking. 

Many,  in  fact  the  majority  of  passengers,  sat  on  the 
deck,  usually  on  their  heels,  in  the  Oriental  fashion. 
Most  of  the  women  were  smoking.  Others  were  chew- 
ing betal  nut  with  irregular  teeth  that  were  already 
reddened  or  blackened  with  the  habit.  Poor  teeth  are 
almost  universal  among  the  natives.  A  shining  set  of 
molars  such  as  our  negroes  here  at  home  exhibit  is  never 
seen  in  the  head  of  a  Filipino. 

The  odors  aboard  would  have  sickened  a  person  of 
weak  stomach;  and  had  I  not  fought  the  tendency  as 
hard  as  I  could,  I  would  surely  have  succumbed. 
When  the  boat  had  started  I  pushed  as  far  forward  as 
possible  and  thus  obtained  some  relief.  There  was  an 
incessant  jabber.  The  females  dressed  about  alike. 
Within  six  feet  of  me  stood  a  lady  of  about  the  average 
size,  five  feet  tall,  weighing  perhaps  one  hundred  pounds. 
She  wore  silver  ear  rings  of  rude  manufacture.  A 
cigarette  hung  to  her  under  lip.  She  wore  a  red  skirt 
with  narrow  white  stripes  every  half  inch  or  so.  Her 
bare  feet  were  in  wooden  bottomed  sandals.  At  times 
her  foot  would  withdraw  until  only  the  tips  of  the  toes 
would  be  sheltered.  Often  she  would  stand  on  the  left 
foot  with  the  right  resting  against  the  left  calf.  Wide 
flaring  gauze  fluffed  up  about  the  shoulders.  The  neck 
was  bared  to  the  tops  of  the  breasts,  but  never  so  low  as 
to  show  even  the  beginning  of  their  curves.  The  arms 
were  naked  except  for  the  gauze  which  was  so  loose  that 
the  arm  could  be  plainly  seen  for  its  whole  length. 
The  profile  closely  approached  that  of  a  chimpanzee. 
The  head  was  flat,' the  nose  snubby,  the  jaws  protrusive, 
the  chin  retrograding.  As  she  looked  over  inlo  I  lie  water 
her  lips  moved  continuously  as  if  she  were  singing  to  her- 
self.     One  small  inexpensive  gold  ring,  set  with  a  bine 

133 


AROCXIi   THE  WORLD   l\   NINETY  DAYS 

and  while  stone,  was  worn  on  the  third  finger  of  her  left 
hand.  She  also  had  suspended  from  the  neck,  by  a  dirty 
cord,  and  resting  on  her  chest,  a  brass  charm  about 
■J"\t".  showing  in  has  relief  a  devil  despatching  an  evil 
spirit,  demonstrating  that  no  harm  could  come  to  the 
possessor  of  the  relic.  Probably  half  of  the  women 
aboard  were  similarly  equipped. 

The  "hands"  aboard  were  small. 

They  were  usually  smoking,  were  barefooted  and 
dressed  in  a  pair  of  cotton  trousers  and  a  shirt  which 


The  Hands 

w  ;i>  so  thin  that  it  concealed  little. 

One  of  the  men  at  the  wheel  asked  a  lady  who  was 
amusing  a  baby  on  the  deck  beside  him  for  a  light,  upon 
which  she  removed  the  cigarette  from  her  charming 
month  with  its  red  teeth,  and  accommodated  the  gentle- 
man. The  baby  had  on  only  one  garment,  a  shirt  that 
by  no  possibility  could  have  reached  below  his  waist, 
and  which,  because  of  creasing,  was  never  below  his  arm 
pits.     His  mother  wore  a  red  shawl  twisted  about  her 

134 


THE  FILIPINOS 


forehead  and  when  the  baby  had  procured  his  lunch  she 
deposited  him  on  the  deck  and  then  turned  her  attention 
to  perfoming  an  operation  upon  the  head  of  a  neighbor 
who,  too,  squatted  upon  the  hard  deck.  The  light  would 
not  admit  of  a  good  instantaneous  picture;  but  I  am 
sure  you  will  understand  what  a  delightful  incident  the 
result  suggested.  The  operation  was  conducted  with 
many  a  sharp  "click"  that  demonstrated  progress. 

Hanging;  from  the  deck  above  were  a  number  of 
freshly  caught  fish  which  some  of  the  passengers  had 


The  Landing 

purchased  at  the  market.  These  slimy  tilings  brushed 
my  face  more  than  once  as  I  moved  about  in  my  search 
for  the  truth. 

The  some  score  of  game  cocks  aboard  so  many  of 
the  native  gentlemen  carried  under  one  arm  did  not 
improve  matters  at  all,  as  may  well  be  imagined.  As 
something  should  be  left  to  the  imagination,  however, 
I  will  say  no  more  of  these  birds. 

Every  few  minutes  we  would  slow  down,  far  from 

135 


AROUXD   THE   WORLD   IX   NINETY  DAYS 

land,  sometimes  several  miles  a  number  of  native 
boats  would  bump  into  us  head-on  with  a  crash  amid  a 
babel  of  shouting  voices,  for  the  Oriental  always 
screeches  whenever  excited.  These  visiting  craft  would 
do  tlii-<  even  when  we  were  proceeding  at  full  speed. 
The  secrel  was  that  the  most  daring  visitor  secured  the 
best  place  tor  boarding  us. 

Not  once  did  we  approach  a  wharf.  Often  pedlars 
would  move  about,  and  then  many  would  purchase 
eggs,  corn  on  the  cob  which  was  at  once  gnawed  off, 


The  Pedlar 

coin  balls,  mangoes,  bananas,  and  cakes  of  a  slimy, 
chocolate  colored  glucose-like  concoction  that  I  would 
not  have  tasted  for  the  whole  ship. 

Such  people,  dressed  as  they  were,  acting  as  they 
were,  ignorant  as  they  were,  looking  as  they  did,  I  call 
savages.  If  they  were  not  savages,  the  world  possesses 
none.  There  are  some  who  are  of  a  lower  scale  in  de- 
velopment, but  the  Filipino  of  the  rank  and  file  is  a 
savage.     Jt  is  useless  and  folly  to  describe  him  other- 

136 


THE  FILIPINOS 

wise.  We  might  as  well  look  the  thing  right  in  the  face 
now  as  at  some  later  time.  In  Manila  and  other  large 
towns  the  Filipino  has  acquired  considerable  of  the 
veneer  of  civilization,  but  he  is  about  one  man  to  every 
twenty-five  in  the  islands.  The  world  has  always 
united  in  calling  people  savages  who  appear  as  these 
people  did  on  the  Tagadito.  Not  five  (per  cent,  of  the 
population  of  the  Philippines  can  read  or  write  a  single 
word. 

Considering  the  distance  —  and  its  bearing  upon 
the  problem  --  that  separates  us  from  the  Philippines, 
the  effect  of  the  enervating  climate  and  the  difference 
between  the  character  of  the  two  races,  I  believe  the 
Filipino  problem  is  far  less  promising  than  that  of  our 
own  American  Indian  with  whom  we  have  been  able 
to  do  almost  nothing. 

On  board  this  native  boat,  as  invariably  in  the 
Philippines,  I  was  treated  with  marked  politeness  and 
kindness  by  the  natives.  They  sympathized  with  my 
curiosity,  and  aided  me  when  it  was  necessary  to  en- 
able me  to  take  such  group  pictures  as  I  desired. 

Finally  Binan  was  shouted  and  the  Captain  pointed 
to  the  shore  and  nodded  as  I  looked  at  him  inquiringly. 

Half  a  dozen  rude  boats  —  dug-outs  and  two 
thatched-roofed  affairs  about  five  feet  wide  —  bumped 
into  us  with  the  usual  excitement,  everybody  cursing 
and  yelling  at  once.  I  clambered  down  into  one  of  the 
latter  style.  Bent  quite  double  —  for  the  roof  was  so 
low  I  could  not  sit  erect  —  and  in  the  terrific  heat, 
which  was  surely  ninety  something  —  it  was  just  noon 
—  and  in  the  midst  of  half  a  score  of  native  women, 
children  and  men  over  some  of  whom  I  stumbled,  with 
their  garlic,  game-cocks,  puffing  cigarettes,  fish,  and 
ill-smelling  bundles  of  remarkable  purchases  in  the 
city,  I  was  a  good  deal  disturbed,  for  the  effect  of 
all  these  things  on  my  nerves  made  me  doubt  if  I  could 
long  endure  this  filth  and  stench  without  becoming  ill. 
Relief,  however,  came  soon,  for  hardly  had  the  steamer 
left  us  when  I  was  made  to  understand  that  I  was  to 
enter  a  small,  rude,  flat-bottomed  boat,  sharp  at  both 

137 


AROUXD   THE   WORLD   IX  NINETY  I>A)s 

ends,  which  came  alongside  and  which,  except  for  the 
two  paddlers,  contained  no  passengers. 

Upon  Later  mentioning  this  courtesy  to  an  American 
officer  he  told  me  Americans  always  were  paid  thai 
attention  when  it  was  possible. 

After  twenty  minutes  of  paddling  by  two  natives 
neither  of  whom  wore  more  than  a  pair  of  trousers, 
I  came  t<>  the  landing,  entered  one  of  the  group  of  waiting 
carromatas,  and  was  slowly  driven  through  the  first  small 
Filipino  town  I  had  ever  visited. 

It  all  looked  as  you  would  expect  to  find  it.  The 
streets  were  about  thirty  feet  wide.  On  either  side  were 
rows  of  one-story,  peaked-roofed,  twelve  foot  square 
bamboo  huts,  set  on  poles  so  that  a  space  about  five  feet 
high  was  left  beneath  for  the  carriages,  horses,  pigs  and 
hens.  Huge  leaved  banana  trees  half  hid  many  shacks, 
while  a  small  lantern  dangled  in  front  of  each  of  them. 
That  was  all  there  was  to  the  town  except  the  market, 
the  church,  and  the  Spanish  style  houses  of  several  of 
the  well-to-do.  Among  these  modern  frame  dwellings 
was  the  barracks  of  the  Philippine  Scouts  whose  com- 
mander I  was  to  visit. 

The  church  was  pure  Spanish  architecture,  with 
the  chime  of  bells  set  about  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground 
in  an  open  campanile  not  over  fifty  feet  away. 

On  arriving  at  Lieutenant  Stone's  I  donned  an 
army  campaign  outfit,  blue  flannel  shirt,  khaki  trousers, 
leggings,  and  campaign  hat.  About  the  place  was  the 
air  of  something  doing.  Everybody  moved  quickly. 
All  commands  were  fairly  hurled  at  their  recipients. 
Not  a  word  was  wasted.  Everybody  was  excited,  but 
with  enthusiasm  and.  old  militiaman  as  I  was,  always 
deeming  the  drum  the  sweetest  of  music,  I  entered 
heartily  into  the  occasion  and  grew  ten  years  younger 
in  five  minutes. 

In  the  meantime ,  another  company  of  scouts  had 
reinforced  us,  and  Captain  Grove,  head  of  the  Bureau 
of  Information  for  the  archipelago  had  arrived  from 
Manila  after  a  hard  ride,  lasting  all  night.  I  at  once 
besieged  him  to  settle  the  question  about  Aguinaldo's 

138 


Group  of  Stone's  Scouts 


THE  FILIPINOS 

location  in  the  Islands,  for  him  I  must  see.  In  the 
early  evening  came  a  message  that  the  Filipino  leader 
was  at  Cavite. 

Now  it  was  time  for  the  troops  to  start  and  as  they 
fell  in  at  the  ringing  bugle  call  that  I  knew  so  well,  I 
looked  them  over  carefully  and  critically;  for  none  of  us 
knew,  I  the  least  of  all,  how  much  might  depend  upon 
them  in  the  next  few  hours  which  presented  so  many 
possibilities  of  excitement  and  danger,  and  I  secured 
pictures  of  a  number  of  them. 

They  were  a  soldierly  lot,  so  far  as  set-up,  alacrity, 
and  general  appearance  was  concerned.  They  were, 
to  be  sure,  only  about  five  feet,  four  inches  in  height, 
but  that  is  not  always  a  disadvantage.  They  were  the 
only  Filipinos  I  ever  saw,  except  others  engaged  in 
some  branch  of  our  military  service,  who  moved  quickly 
and  with  a  spring.  So  far  as  drill  and  the  show  work  of 
a  soldier  were  concerned  they  certainly  made  a  very  good 
appearance  and  in  general  smartness  of  uniform,  ac- 
coutrement and  conduct  were  the  equal  of  any  American 
troops  I  have  ever  seen.  Their  earnestness  was 
especially  notable  and  they  portrayed  none  of  the  care- 
lessness that  many  of  our  regular  army  men  exhibit.  It 
was  evident  that  each  man  was  trying  with  all  his  forces, 
mental  and  physical,  to  do  the  best  he  could.  Not  one 
had  an  air  that  suggested  that  he  knew  it  all.  There 
was  no  slouching  and  no  slouchers.  It  would  be  a 
delight  to  drill  and  train  such  men,  so  interested  were 
they,  and  it  was  thrilling  to  see  them  march  off  with 
that  same  irresistible,  free,  strong  swing  that  we  now  use 
in  our  army.  The  game  was  afoot.  We  would  follow, 
Stone  and  I,  in  a  carromata,  in  two  hours. 


13!) 


CHAPTER   IX 


CHASING  ORUGA 

We  were  to  try  to  capture  the  ladrone  Amiceto 
Oruga  and  liis  band  of  some  forty  men.  "Ladrone"  is 
Spanish  for  highwayman  or  bandit. 

This  fellow  Oruga  was  a  Major  on  the  staff  of 
General  Malvar,  one  of  the  chief  commanders  of 
Aguinaldo,  in  1900  1903.  When  we  first  occupied  the 
Islands,  Mr.  Oruga  was  serving  a  sentence  in  the  jail 
at  Batangas  for  different  crimes.  Effecting  his  escape, 
he  joined  the  insurrection  and  was  captured  by  our 
troops  and  sentenced  to  be  hung,  for  the  best  of  reasons, 
lint  was  released  on  his  promise  to  behave  himself.  He 
broke  his  word,  however,  and  was  soon  again  taken  bv 
our  forces  under  the  vigorous  administration  of  General 
Bell.  The  general  amnesty  proclamation  of  1903  again 
sel  him  at  large.  Ever  since,  he  has  been  in  the  field  in 
command  of  all  the  outlaws  he  has  been  able  to  collect 
in  his  home  province,  Batangas.  to  which  he  confined 
his  operations,  where  the  fastnesses  of  huge  mountains, 
with  which  from  earliest  boyhood  he  had  been  familiar, 
permitted  him  to  defeat  repeated  attempts  at  capture. 

His  success  in  eluding  us  had  emboldened  him,  and 
only  a  few  hours  before  my  arrival  in  Biiian  he  and  his 
band  had  made  a  sortie  from  Batangas  Province  into 
Laguna  Province,  entered  the  town  of  Cabuyao  (Caboo- 
yo)  about  ten  miles  south  of  Biiian,  at  early  evening, 
attacked  the  residence,  in  the  very  centre  of  the  town, 
of  one  of  the  wealthiest  citizens,  captured  him,  and  dis- 
appeared with  him  into  the  mountains  of  Batangas. 

This  outrage,  being  reported  to  Manila,  led  to  the 
"big  move."  of  which  Stone  had  telegraphed  me,  to  try 
to  end  this  fellow's  career.  For  this  commendable  pur- 
pose some  eight  hundred  scouts  and  constabulary,  all 
under  American   officers,   directed   by   Captain   Grove, 

140 


CHASING  OBUGA 

were  detailed;  and  before  my  entrance  upon  the  stage 
they  were  proceeding  from  various  barracks  to  their 
respective  designated  positions  in  the  living  net 
which  was  to  be  drawn  about  the  supposed  habitat  of 
Mr.  Oruga,  and  which  would  be  gradually  narrowed 
in  an  endeavor  to  catch  him  in  it. 

An  American  officer  passed  the  word  along  that 
the  moment  a  native  appeared  who  tried  to  run  he  was  to 
be  shot.  If  I  shot  anybody  all  promised  me  to  forget 
that  I  did  it  if  there  happened  to  be  any  inquiry  after- 
ward; but  I  was  firmly  impressed  with  the  idea  that  I 
must  shoot  first  and  investigate  afterward  unless  I 
desired  to  be  boloed. 

With  a  45  Colt  on  my  right  hip,  a  Krag  rifle  on 
my  shoulder  and  belts  filled  with  cartridges  for  both 
revolver  and  gun,  I  felt  all  ready  for  anything,  and 
certainly  felt    "tougher"  than  anybody  else  I  met. 

At  six-thirty  a  terrific  thunder-storm  began,  but  in 
an  hour  it  was  over  and  at  just  seven-forty-five,  in  a  fast 
gathering  blackness  I  shook  hands  with  Mrs.  Stone, 
turned  away  as  her  boy  stepped  up  to  her  to  bid  her 
farewell  —  she  had  only  been  with  him  forty-eight  hours 
and  this  parting  was  therefore  particularly  hard  - 
and  we  were  off.' 

Each  of  us  carried  a  blanket  roll  filled  with  food 
and  what  baggage  was  necessary,  and  the  little  springless 
carromata  was,  when  the  driver  was  aboard,  filled  to  the 
brim.  Stone  and  I  were  wedged  in  so  that  neither  could 
move  limb  or  body  unless  the  other  did  also.  There 
was  no  room  to  stretch  one's  legs  as  the  driver's  seal  was 
too  near,  and  my  knees  were  close  to  my  chin,  so  low  was 
our  seat.  Before  we  were  free  from  the  town  even,  we 
were  in  an  utter  darkness.  That,  however,  only  served 
to  enhance  the.  beauty  of  a  phenomenon  supplied  by 
clouds  of  fire-flies,  millions  of  them,  which  far  sur- 
passed any  other  incident  of  a  similar  nature  I  bad  ever 
witnessed. 

Our  little  pony,  when  some  two  miles  bad  been 
passed,  began  to  drag  us  into  deep  gullies  which  the 
rain  had  caused  and  a  number  of  time's  we  were  nearly 

141 


AROUND    THE   WORLD   IS  NINETY  DATS 

thrown  upon  our  beams'  end  by  a  lightning-like  descent 
to  the  hubs  of  the  wheels  into  a  pool,  which  could  not  be 
scon,  hut  the  mud  of  which  splashed  all  over  us.  The 
ponv  had  to  try  many  times  to  extricate  us,  and  suc- 
ceeded, only  immediately  half  to  disappear  in  similar 
depths.  The  road  could  not  be  seen  with  any  certainty, 
and  at  times  we  learned  by  the  one  wheel  in  the  brook, 
which  ran  alongside,  that  we  were  surely  not  in  the  high- 
way. We  commenced  this  journey  with  a  candle 
sputtering  on  either  side  of  the  vehicle  for  guidance. 
But  these  lights  jounced  out  every  time  we  were  deposited 
in  a  cavity,  and  after  relighting  them  a  dozen  times  or  so, 
we  abandoned  all  such  attempts  and  trusted  entirely 
to  the  sense  of  the  pony,  —  for  the  driver  evinced  no 
signs  of  possessing  any,  —  to  reach  Santa  Rosa,  three 
miles  away. 

At  last  we  made  it,  and  found  ourselves  in  the 
centre  of  much  activity.  A  large  crowd  was  in  a 
square,  in  the  middle  of  which  were  two  companies  of 
our  troops.  On  the  right,  in  a  room  open  to  the  street, 
was  the  town  council,  in  session,  surrounded  by  a  gaping 
lot  of  natives.  We  drove  straight  ahead  till  well  out 
of  the  crowd  and  then  halted  at  a  little  store.  Taking 
all  the  arms  and  ammunition  with  me  I  entered  the  store 
while  Stone  started  afoot  for  the  town  council  to  make 
inquiries  about  the  disposition  of  the  troops  which 
should  have  previously  passed. 

My  time  was  expended  far  more  pleasantly,  and 
considering  the  lies  with  which  the  mayor  entertained 
Stone,  far  more  profitably.  The  only  occupant  of  the 
store  was  a  young  Filipino  girl  of  some  twenty  years, 
who  had  plainly  had  much  fun  with  my  predecessors 
and  could  talk  pretty  good  English.  I  now  recollect 
only  one  thing  she  said  and  that  wras  "Do  you  think  I 
was  born  yesterday?" 

But  I  grew  curious  about  the  city  council  and, 
loaded  down  with  my  murderous  outfit,  I  soon  appeared 
before  that  august  tribunal,  wThich  was  composed  of 
half  a  dozen  natives  seated  about  a  long  table,  at  the 
head  of  which  sat  His  Honor  the  Mayor,  engaged  in 

142 


CHASING  ORUGA 

conversation  with  Stone.  I  was  introduced  and  shook 
hands  with  all.  Three  kerosene  lamps,  in  tipping 
brackets,  half-lighted  a  room  of  fifteen  by  twenty  feet. 
Pictures  of  McKinley  and  Roosevelt,  in  colors,  were  on 
the  wall,  as  the  chief  ornaments  of  the  proclamation  of 
the  installation  of  civil  government  in  the  Islands  to 
succeed  military  rule.  The  little  body  was  dignified 
enough  and  one  or  two  busied  about  as  if  there  were 
much  to  do.  Stone  must  have  done  some  tall  lying 
about  me  as  I  was  treated  with  great  apparent  con- 
sideration and  respect.  But  I  did  not  feel  at  all  sure 
that  I  was  not  really  despised  and  hated;  and  I  may  as 
well  say  here  as  anywhere  else  that  I  have  never  been 
sure  of  the  Filipino  when  he  has  exhibited  friendly 
sentiments.  I  have  always  felt  that  he  feared  and 
detested  us  Americans  but  did  not  dare  show  it,  and  I 
came  out  of  the  Islands  believing  that  their  inhabitants 
would  like  to  cut  our  throats,  and  would  do  so  at  the 
first  good  opportunity  that  presented  itself.  I  wouldn't 
trust  one  of  them  even  in  plain  sight  and  then  I 
should  want  to  be  against  a  wall  so  that  nothing  could 
strike  me  from  behind.  On  this  trip  I  never  lay  down 
at  night  but  I  thought  that  I  should  very  likely  awake 
on  another  planet. 

At  nine  we  left  for  Cabuyao  (Caboo-yo)  three  miles 
away,  with  the  troops  fifteen  minutes  ahead.  While 
passing  the  last  struggling  houses  of  the  town,  we  came 
to  a  path  that  led  off  to  the  right.  Up  this  the  troops 
had  gone.  Stone  had  thought  out  something  that  his 
subordinate  should  know  and  so  decided  to  leave  me  in 
the  carromata  while  he  afoot  —  for  the  path  was  too 
narrow  to  admit  of  the  passage  of  a  carriage  —  pursued 
his  men.  Well  armed  as  I  was,  I  did  not  fear,  until 
Stone's  stalwart  form  had  disappeared  in  the  darkness 
and  my  carriage  became  surrounded  with  several  score 
of  natives  who  pushed  and  jabbered.  They  spread 
beyond  the  circle  of  light  shed  by  the  feeble  carriage 
candles,  and,  unaccustomed  as  I  was  to  the  language 
spoken  excitedly  all  about  me,  with  no  means  to  dis- 
tinguish a  friendly  word  from  a  curse,  and  stationed  in 

143 


lAROUNl)   THE   WORLD   IS  NINETY  DAYS 

the  centre  of  the  only  visible  light,  with  black  face's 
peering  u|>  into  mine,  their  owners  jammed  againsl  the 
wheels  and  body  of  my  conveyance  so  that  a  dozen 
hands  could  have  snatched  my  rifle  before  I  could  have 
moved  a  finger,  I  concluded  that  1  had  better  move  and 
move  quickly,  I  am  willing  to  admit  that  a  realiza- 
tion of  my  helplessness  made  my  blood  chill  for  a  few 
seconds.  1  accordingly  alighted,  pushed  through  the 
crowd,  leaped  a  stone  wall  by  the  roadside  and  took  my 
station  some  fifty  feet  away  in  a  field  where  the  grass 
grew  to  about  the  height  of  my  waist.  Of  course  I 
thought  of  snakes  and  all  sorts  of  other  things  that,  in 
fact,  do  not  exist  in  the  Islands;  but  I  felt  fairly  secure 
until  I  heard  a  number  of  shots  a  hundred  yards  up 
the  path  taken  by  Stone.  The  natives  who  had  been  so 
curious  about  me  vanished  at  the  sound  as  if  they  had 
been  spirits  of  darkness  surprised  by  the  sun.  My 
uerves  were  strained  to  every  sound  and  the  next  few 
minutes  were  anxious  ones.  I  thought  that  Stone  had 
been  attacked,  and  I  ran  up  the  path.  I  soon,  however, 
came  upon  him,  although  we  were  both  pretty  cautious 
in  approaching  one  another.  The  shots  had  been 
signals  to  his  subordinate. 

The  ride  to  Cabuyao  was  the  worst  in  my  career. 
1  have  ridden  over  logging  roads  in  the  great  forests  of 
Vermont,  New  Hampshire  and  Canada,  where,  in  the 
course  of  a  mile,  an  overturn  is  imminent  every  other 
minute;  where  bogs,  swamps,  and  broken,  poorly  laid, 
decayed  corduroy  presents  the  least  of  the  difficulties; 
I  have  ridden  in  the  Eastern  Kentucky  and  Tennessee 
mountain  regions  where  no  wheels,  only  sleds  can  travel, 
but  nothing  ever  even  approached  this  night  ride 
between  Santa  Rosa  and  Cabuyao.  The  previous  ride 
of  the  evening  was  fifty  per  cent,  better  than  this  latter 
experience.  The  candles  could  not  be  kept  blazing  and 
again  and  again  we  both  alighted  in  mud  holes  that 
swallowed  us  up  to  above  the  knees,  and  shouted,  pushed 
lifted  and  pulled  our  pony  out  of  an  abyss.  Twice  my 
rifle  was  hurled  from  my  hand  out  into  the  darkness. 
The   rain   had  recommenced  and   on  one  of  these  de- 

144 


CHASING  ORUGA 

lightful  occasions  we  spent  surely  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
in  searching  with  matches  in  the  various  mud  holes  in 
our  vicinity  for  the  missing  weapon.  At  last  the  outfit 
was  stalled.  The  pony  could  not  drag  us.  He  was 
completely  exhausted.  After  pulling  him  from  a  huge 
hole  into  which  he  and  both  wheels  were  so  immersed 
that  the  water  entered  the  carriage,  we  left  him  and  his 
driver  with  orders  to  follow  as  soon  as  possible,  shoul- 
dered our  weapons  and  started  afoot.  Remember,  I 
could  not  see  my  companion  had  he  been  as  tall  as  a 
telegraph  pole.  I  could  see  nothing  but  nothing. 
There  was  no  sidewalk,  and  no  limit  to  the  road  on  one 
side,  while  a  brook  ran  on  the  other.  Certainly  I  fell 
into  that  brook  a  number  of  times,  up  to  my  waist  and 
once  I  was  down  on  all  fours  right  in  the  middle  of  it, 
when  the  bank  gave  completely  away.  Bushes  and 
thorns  slapped  my  face  and  cut  my  hands.  But  still  we 
plunged  along  and  about  eleven  we  came  again  to  houses 
where  dogs  barked  and  snarled  at  us;  but  the  owners 
were  fast  asleep.  The  little  lanterns  at  each  hut  made 
our  progress  more  secure  and,  besides,  the  road  became 
firmer. 

Cabuyao  we  discovered  to  be  quite  a  town,  with 
many  modern  residences  built  in  Spanish  style. 

Here  we  were  almost  immediately  joined  by  Grove 
and  then  the  three  of  us  started  to  visit  General  Juan 
Cailles,  one  of  the  most  famous  insurgents,  probably 
Aguinaldo's  ablest  general,  and  now  Governor  of  the 
Province  of  Laguna,  within  which  we  now  were.  This 
visit  amused  me  more  than  any  other  incident  of  our 
entire  three  month's  journey.  It  exhibited  the  Oriental 
to  perfection.  As  we  approached  the  outer  door  1 
called  my  companion's  attention  to  a  half-dozen  natives 
in  uniform  stretched  out,  on  the  bare  earth,  three  on 
either  side  of  the  door,  all  fast  asleep,  in  the  various 
positions  that  sleeping  men  assume,  their  rifles  lying 
close  beside  them;  besides,  two  sentinels  challenged  us. 
Grove  explained  that  these  men  were  the  Governor's 
Guard.  In  the  court,  within  the  house,  were  seven 
more  armed  men,   all  asleep,   in  different  corners   and 

l  -l  :> 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IN  NINETY  DAYS 

nooks.  Across  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  so  distributed  that 
we  were  obliged  to  step  over  them,  were  four  more.  At 
the  top  of  the  stairs  two  lay  across  our  path,  while  in  the 
corner  to  the  left  were  three,  all  asleep  on  the  floor. 
We  turned  into  the  room  to  the  right  and  there  were  three 
sleeping  on  their  arms  on  the  bare  floor  in  front  of  a  bed 
beneath  whose  matting,  like  a  Sultan,  lay  sleeping  the 
object  of  our  search. 

The  thing  struck  me  as  so  utterly  ridiculous  that  I 
could  hardly  treat  the  General  as  other  than  a  joke  all 
the  time  we  remained.  I  did  not  suppose  such  a  con- 
dition of  things  had  existed  outside  of  Turkey  and  Persia 
at  any  time  within  the  last  two  hundred  years  and  yet 
here  it  was  in  the  United  States.  Grove  shouted  at 
Cailles,  and  the  sleeping  guards  awoke  ruefully  and  the 
General  proceeded  to  arise.  He  was  dressed  in  silk 
trousers  of  a  khaki  color,  a  blue  army  shirt  over  a  stiff- 
bosomed  white  linen  one,  and  a  white  linen  standing  col- 
lar and  cuffs;  but  was  barefooted.  Thus  appareled  he 
entered  the  first  room  we  had  seen  and  sat  down  before 
a  very  handsome  low  writing  table  of  rare  wood.  I  was 
amused  to  see  Grove  lift  his  boots  covered  with  Luzon 
mud  -for  he  had  to  walk  as  well  as  Stone  and  I- 
up  onto  the  delicate  table  right  under  the  Governor's 
chin  and  punctuate  his  tense  statements  with  cuts  of 
the  handsome  silver-mounted  whip  which  he  carried, 
sometimes  on  the  table,  sometimes  on  the  boots.  Yan- 
kee inability  to  comprehend  Oriental  ideas  of  greatness 
and  importance  I  never  saw  better  or  more  amusingly 
exhibited. 

Cailles  looks  like  his  picture.  He  is  tall,  spare, 
hollow-chested  and  round-shouldered,  presenting  a 
weak,  effeminate  appearance.  He  wore  a  single  dia- 
mond ring  on  the  small  finger  of  his  left  hand.  His 
fingers  wTere  long  and  delicate,  and  the  knuckles  turned 
backward.  An  old  woman  servant  thrust  under  the 
table  two  pairs  of  Oriental  velvet  sandals.  He  dis- 
carded the  blue  and  donned  the  red.  He  is  accredited 
with  being  half-Portugese  and  half-French,  and,  all  in 
all,  he  looks  it,  with  his  swrarthy  complexion  and  black 
mustache,  eyebrows,  and  hair. 

146 


CHASING  DRUG  A 

It  was  just  12.30  a.m.  when  we  sat  down  for  a  con- 
ference. He  offered  us  bino  which  looked  and  tasted 
like  gin,  and  then  proffered  a  box  of  cigarettes,  all  of 
which  were  thankfully  accepted.  He  showed  me  a 
recent  letter  from  Judge  Taft  (already  Secretary  of 
War)  which  showed  that  Taft  and  he  were  upon  rather 
intimate  terms.  In  a  musical  low  voice  he  discussed  the 
campaign  with  Grove  and  Stone  and  stated  that  he  him- 
self would  take  the  field  with  all  his  forces  within  an  hour. 
Meanwhile  I  examined  the  room  we  were  in,  and 
discovered  that  the  door  frames  were  mahogany,  appar- 
ently carved  in  a  most  elaborate  manner. 

In  half  an  hour  the  consultation  was  terminated. 
Cailles  called  to  a  servant  who  brought  in  russet  shoes 
and  leather  leggins  which  made  the  Governor  look  quite 
like  an  American  officer.  He  then  proceeded  to  awaken 
his  sleeping  guards  who  had  not  stirred  and  we  bade 
him  good  night  and  started  for  the  native  shack  which 
we  had  set  upon  as  our  abode  for  the  rest  of  the  night. 

Before  we  lay  down,  however,  we  disposed  of  an 
enormous  quantity  of  our  rations  The  driver  finally 
appeared  with  our  carromata,  immediately  curled  him- 
self up  on  the  seat  of  his  vehicle  and  went  to  sleep.  We 
then  bolted  our  door.  I  lay  on  a  rattan  couch  with  a 
huge  whiskey  bottle  which  I  found  under  it,  for  a  pillow. 
Stone,  stretched  out  on  the  bamboo  floor,  drew  his  army 
blanket  over  him  and  soon  we  were  sleeping  quietly, 
our  weapons  carefully  disposed  for  quick  employment. 
The  entire  front  of  the  house  was  open  to  the  roof  from 
two  feet  above  the  floor  and  a  dozen  natives  could  have 
simultaneously  scrambled  through  upon  us,  —  the  only 
Caucasians  in  the  town,  —  without  resistance  had  they 
proceeded  quietly,  or  they  could  have  shot  us  into  holes 
from  beneath,  through  the  thin  bamboo  floor  between 
parts  of  which  they  could  have  seen  with  ease. 

Early  the  next  morning,  however,  I  assured  myself 
that  I  had  not  been  assassinated.  For  the  use  of  the 
pony  rig  which  we  tried  to  use,  inclusive  of  the  driver, 
an  order    on  the  military  department  was  given  called 

147 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IS   NINETY  DAYS 

a  "chit"       the  most  common  currency  of  the  Orient  — 
for  one  dollar. 

'"Chits"  purchase  everything  among  the  Asiatics. 
The  system  is  thai  pursued  in  social  clubs  by  which 
orders  for  conveniences  are  in  writing,  signed  by  the 
recipient.  In  the  Hast  this  custom  extends  to  all  public 
busmess,  and  practically  no  cash  is  needed  in  any 
establishment.  This  is  the  invention  of  the  Caucasians 
exiled  there,  to  improve  the  silver  basis  money  system. 
At  seven-fifty  we  left  in  a  two  pony  carromata  for 
Calamba,  another  town  on  the  lake,  distant  about  four 
miles.  The  mud  had  subsided  and  we  moved  at  a 
satisfactory  speed.  Those  heavy  rains,  however,  leave 
large  gullies  in  the  roads,  except  where  we  have  super- 
intended construction,  and  progress  is  slow  to  an  Ameri- 
can, while  the  jolting  and  general  roughness  of  the 
journey  renders  the  experience  a  hard  one. 

In  this  part  of  Luzon,  after  the  first  pleasure  at  the 
luxuriance  of  the  vegetation  and  its  tropical  strangeness, 
there  is  little  that  is  beautiful  or  interesting.  The  road 
at  times  is  through  thick  underbrush  that  fairly  crowds 
on  either  hand,  and  tall  palms  rise  in  clusters.  Then 
there  are  stretches  of  rank  grass  about  to  the  hips  in 
height,  that  extend  far,  broken  here  and  there  by  patches 
of  stunted  trees  that  are  only  huge  bushes.  The  country 
is  rolling,  but  with  no  steep  hills  until  the  mountains 
are  neared. 

All  the  native  population  was  traveling  to  Calamba 
for  it  was  market  day,  and  we  pattered  past  many  men 
and  women  who  carried  on  their  heads  the  products  of 
their  little  gardens. 

When  only  a  mile  from  Calamba  we  came  to  a 
creek  where  was  a  typical  scene  of  much  interest.  A 
real  caravan  of  men,  caraboa  carts  and  women  were  just 
fording  the  shallow  stream.  The  caraboas  were  all 
allowed  to  walk  in,  and  the  women  balanced  their 
heavy  loads  on  their  heads  and  held  their  skirts  up  to 
their  hips  as  they  paddled  along.  Arrived  on  the  other 
shore,  they  deposited  their  burdens  and  then  re- 
entered the  stream  to  wash  the  mud  from  their  legs. 

148 


J  til 


77*  e  Market 


The  Brook 


Rations 


The  Littte  Red  Schoolhouse 


CHASING  OBUGA 

These  women  possessed  a  self-confidence,  a  poise  of 
movement  that  indicated  superiority  to  the  men  and 
this  fact  is  borne  out  by  the  further  truth  that  the  women 
and  not  the  male  members  are  the  real  masters  in  Fili- 
pino family  finance.  They  plainly  have  twice  the 
brains  and  depth  of  character  that  the  men  possess. 

At  this  ford  I  took  several  pictures  of  the  most 
interesting  scenes  that  I  noted  in  the  Islands,  all  in  a 
splendid  light  and  I  was  delighted  with  such  a  splendid 
opportunity;  and  you  may  well  imagine  my  disgust  an 
hour  or  so  later  when  I  discovered  that  I  had  lost  the 
roll  of  films  which  contained  all  of  these  impressions. 

At  Calamba  I  halted  at  the  barracks  of  the  con- 
stabulary. Opposite  the  entrance  were  the  shacks  of 
some  natives  and  I  hastened  over  to  secure  a  picture  of 
a  mother  starting  to  bathe  her  little  Child  in  the  brook. 

In  an  hour,  which  I  spent  in  a  bunk  in  the  barracks, 
we  had  exchanged  our  two  ponies  for  one,  eaten  our  cold 
lunch  and  hurried  toward  Santo  Tomas  in  the  interior, 
in  Batangas.  Here  we  met  more  of  the  market  visitors, 
and  secured  a  picture  of  a  corner  of  the  fruit  department. 

If  I  wished  to  take  pictures  of  anybody  I  alighted, 
indicated  my  wishes  by  signs,  and  invariably  was 
accommodated. 

Not  over  a  mile  from  town  we  came  to  an  American 
school-house. 

The  lower  part  of  the  flag  can  but  just  be  seen. 
One  of  the  inevitable  game-cocks  is  in  evidence.  This 
bird  occupies  so  important  a  place  in  the  life  of  the 
Filipino  that  the  subject  warrants  more  than  a  mere 
word.  The  secret  of  the  institution  is,  that  a  cock  is 
the  best  source  of  revenue  a  Filipino  has  —  inasmuch 
as  it  yields  the  most  for  the  least  effort  by  its  owner  - 
the  only  standard  by  which  the  ordinary  native  appar- 
ently measures  the  relative  value  of  various  sources 
of  income. 

In  the  Islands,  cock-fighting  is  practically  the  only 
form  of  entertainment,  and  when  to  this  is  appended  the 
further  note  that  the  custom  offers  unlimited  oppor- 
tunity for  gambling,  the  charm  of  I  he  cock  to  lli<v 
Oriental  is  well  explained. 

149 


AROUND   THE  ]Voi;i.l>   IN  NINETY  DAYS 


c   . 


The  Introduction 


Make  Your  Bets 
150 


CHASING   DRUG  A 

It  is  a  fact  that  when  our  troops  in  the  fighting 
days  of  1898-1900  occupied  a  town,  often  a  native  head 
of  a  household  could  be  seen  to  rush  from  his  habita- 
tion, snatch  his  cock  from  the  peg  to  which  it  had  been 
hitched  by  one  leg  in  the  yard,  and  dash  with  the  bird 
under  his  arms  into  the  forest,  leaving  his  wife  and 
little  ones  to  get  along  as  best  they  could.  But  he  had 
saved  what  appeared  to  him  the  most  valuable  asset 
he  possessed. 

You  see,  these  cock-fights  take  place  only  when  a 


Lt.  Stone  in  our  Carromata 


fixed  amount  of  money  is  deposited  by  the  spectators 
as  admission  fee.  This  sum  is  divided  into  percentages, 
of  which  the  owners  of  contesting  birds  have  a  certain 
proportion. 

Half  way  to  our  destination  we  came  to  some  troops. 
Their  sentinels  could  be  seen  as  little  dots  at  different 
points  across  the  fields  and  the  largeness  of  the  problem 
of  capturing  Mr.  Oruga  was  evident.  He  was  hidden, 
or  made  his  home  in  the  fastnesses  of  a  mountain  thai 
was  fully  twenty-five  miles  in  circumference,  so  lli.it  we 

151 


Mtorxn   THE  WORLD   IX  NINETY  DAYS 


had,  in  our  eight  hundred  men,  about  thirty  to  guard 
each  mile,  or  one  to  every  one  hundred  and  seventy 
linear  feet.  In  a  country  in  which  grass  grows  in 
patches  many  square  miles  in  extent,  often  so  high  as 
to  reach  a  hove  the  head  of  a  man  on  horseback;  in  a 
section  with  Large  forests  of  sheltering  tropical  luxuriance 
so  thick  as  to  be  impenetrable  without  a  bolo,  our  task 
was  well-nigh  condemned  to  fail  from  its  inception. 
If  the  outlaws  were  shrewd  and  brave  they  were  cer- 
tain to  elude  us. 


The  Family 

( )pposite  the  little  outpost  by  the  roadside  were 
two  native  bamboo  huts,  with  their  occupants. 

At  my  request  the  latter,  except  the  mother,  who 
could  be  seen  bathing  in  the  background,  came  out  in 
the  sunlight  and  posed  for  me.  It  is  a  constant 
occurrence  to  see  half- nude  women  bathing  behind 
their  huts.  They  dip  into  a  bucket  of  water  with  a 
gourd,  often  a  tin  can,  lift  it  above  the  head  and  then 
reverse  it,  letting  the  water  onto  the  head  and  shoulders. 

152 


CHASING   OR  VGA 

It  appears  to  give  them  as  much  delight  as  a  pig  secures 
from  a  new  mud  hole.  Only  newly  arrived  Americans 
appear  to  take  any  notice  of  these  skinny  bodies  thus 
exposed  to  plain  view  and  I  am  free  to  say  that  I  saw 
nothing  in  the  Islands  that  made  me  think  the  natives 
lacked  artistic  sense  when  these  exhibitions  did  not 
attract  the  eye. 

An  hour  and  a  half  brought  us  to  Santo  Tomas 
(Tomar),  a  little  knot  of  houses.  We  at  once  called  at 
the  office  (Presidentia)  of  the  Presidente  (Mayor) 
where   we  found  that  that   august   official  was   away. 


A  Foreigner's  Dwelling 

The  Vice-Presidente,  however,  was  present  and  I  found 
him  about  the  most  intellectual  native  who  had  yet 
come  to  my  attention.  Thought  veins  stood  on  his 
forehead,  something  I  had  noted  in  no  other  native. 
Stone  informed  me  that  this  official  was  a  college-trained 
man  and  he  certainly  so  appeared.  In  the  council 
chamber  were  four  clerks  or  sub-officers  besides  a 
little,  good-natured  looking  fellow,  of  a  stout  build,  about 
five  feet,  two  inches  in  height.  He  was  the  com- 
mander of  the  local  constabulary  and  had  been  a  cap- 
tain of  Spanish  forces  in  the  war  with  us.     His  uniform 


[ROUND    THE   WORLD   IS   NINETY  DAYS 


The  Vice-Presidente 


A  Pony  Cart 


154 


CHASING  DRUG  A 

was  of  our  army.  There  were  a  few  curious  spec- 
tators to  view  the  workings  of  these  great  men.  The 
prominent  figure  was  a  fat  old  woman  who  sat  in  the 
window,  smoking  a  cigarette,  and  blowing  the  smoke 
through  her  nostrils. 

The  Presidents  was  brother  of  the  Vice-Presidente, 
and  they  were  both  druggists. 

Stone  and  the  little  officer  were  old  enemies  be- 
come fast  friends,  and  we  made  a  jolly  crowd  as  we 
walked  to  the  home  of  the  Vice-Presidente  to  take 
"chow"  within.  It  was  especially  jolly  for  me  as  I 
could  not  comprehend  a  word.  As  we  entered  the 
yard,  I  halted  my  three  companions  and  took  a  picture 
of  them. 

The  stable  was  underneath  the  house,  which  was 
plainly  the  best  in  town.  The  building  was  entirely 
of  split  bamboo  work.  Awaiting  dinner  I  .went  to 
sleep  in  my  chair.  Upon  returning  to  Luzon  I  was 
interested  to  notice  a  very  old  woman  who  wore  only  a 
waist  and  skirt  —  which  did  not  join  by  considerable 
space — and  a  cross  and  two  cards  containing  embossed 
images  about  her  neck,  sidle  up  to  the  dining  table  at 
which  we  had  seated  ourselves,  take  a  match  from  the 
box  that  was  deposited  beside  the  mayor's  plate,  light 
it  and  begin  to  smoke  her  cigar  —  not  cigarette.  As 
nobody  else  appeared  to  notice  the  incident,  I  presume 
it  was  common. 

The  little  captain  of  constabulary  drank  some 
whiskey  and  was  soon  in  a  very  comical  state.  His 
deeds  of  valor  when  in  the  Spanish  army  were  recited 
with  wonderful  effect,  for  his  tongue  would  not  obey  his 
will  and  about  all  he  could  do  well  was  to  shout  and 
make  furious  gestures. 

The  proceedings  were  further  enlivened  by  a  very 
good  dog  fight  behind  my  chair,  which,  however,  did 
not  last  long  enough. 

Curry  we  had,  rice  and  curry,  made  with  sonic  sort 
of  meat;  I  haven't  the  slightest  idea  of  the  sort;  dropped 
eggs  and  coffee  without  milk. 

At  one-forty  we  left  for  Tamilian  (Tan-wan)  only 

155 


Main  Street,  Tanauan 


T^: 


The  Church  at  Tanauan 
156 


CHASING  ORUGA 

twenty  minutes  distant,  and  the  road  we  found  to  be  one 
of  "ours,"  with  the  result  that  it  was  the  equal  of  any 
American  turnpike.  Tanauan  we  discovered  to  be  the 
most  interesting  town  we  had  visited.  I  secured  a 
picture  of  its  main  street.  The  gateway  to  be  seen 
through  the  avenue  of  trees  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
street  is  the  main  door  to  the  church. 

This  view  of  the  church  was  next  taken,  with  a  group 
of  boys  who,  but  two  minutes  previously  were  busily  en- 
gaged in  a  game  of  baseball,  played  exactly  as  we  play 


The  Old  Wall  at  Tanauan 

it  here  at  home,  including  the  excoriation  of  the  umpire 
and  any  amount  of  quarrelling. 

Here  we  met  an  interesting  man,  a  full-blooded 
Spaniard,  in  command  of  a  full  company  of  constabu- 
lary _  Aurelio  Ramos,  a  young,  medium-tall  fellow,  of 
olive  tint,  with  features  almost  exactly  those  of  the 
present  Spanish  monarch.  He  talked  far  better  Eng- 
lish than  either  Stone  or  I  do  —  certainly  than  we  do 
when  on  a  vacation. 

157 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IN  NINETY  PAYS 

Failing  to  hire  horses,  Ramos  sent  to  the  Presidente 
of  the  town  for  them,  for  Stone  and  myself,  but  to  no 
purpose.  As  commander  of  the  local  station  Ramos 
had  power  to  call  upon  the  Presidente  for  horses  for 
military  purposes;  and  after  a  delay  of  several  hours  it 
was  suggested  thai  I  visit  the  official  in  the  hope  that  my 
presence  as  a  traveler  might  bestir  his  courtesy  to 
furnish  the  horses  we  must  have. 

Accompanied  by  Ramos  as  interpreter  I  was  glad 


to  go. 


The  Presidente  I  found  to  be  a  rather  tall  native,  of 


A   Tanauan  Store 


some  fifty  years  of  age,  living  in  a  frame  house  of  two 
stories.  His  hair  was  tinged  with  white,  and,  after  the 
native  style,  was  worn  in  a  pompadour.      r 

Beer  and  cigarettes  were  served  and  while  these 
were  disappearing  I  questioned  my  host  through  Ramos, 
who  spoke  Tagalog  fluently.  The  mayor  said  that 
the  Americans  were  helping  the  natives  very  much  by 
new  schools.  Asked  his  opinion  of  Aguinaldo  he 
replied  that  that  gentleman  was  not  a  very  able  man, 
not  nearly  so  able  as  several  of  his  lieutenants.     Cailles, 

158 


CHASING  DRUG  A 

the  governor  of  Laguna,  had  said  the  same  thing  at 
our  midnight  interview  the  night  previous.  I  asked 
him  if  he  knew  much  of  American  or  European  history. 
He  said  "Very  little."  He  also  stated  that,  for  a  long 
time  to  come,  the  people  of  the  country  would  be  quite 
unable  to  comprehend  the  workings  of  a  government  of 
any  kind.  For  half  an  hour  we  exchanged  views  and  I 
left  with  the  statement  that  he  could  do  no  greater  good 
in  the  world  than  by  aiding  us  in  every  way  he  could,  to 
hasten  the  day  when  the  greater  body  of  his  people 
could  govern  themselves. 

As  I  arose  to  leave,  at  my  request  he  wrote  his 
autograph  with  the  date  (Aug.  5)  in  ink,  upon  a  sheet  of 
paper  as  a  memento  of  the  visit,  and  I  gave  him  my  card 
in  return  and  a  promise  that  I  would  send  him  a  book 
when  I  returned  to  America,  which  has  been  done.  His 
autograph  is  as  follows: 


Autograph  of  the  Presidents  of  Tanauan 


What  in  the  world  the  handwriting  stands  for  I 
have  no  idea.  I  find  no  translation  in  my  diary,  and 
no  mention  of  him  by  name. 

Next  I  visited  an  American  school  in  the  town, 
which  was  crowded  with  scholars  who  appeared  eager 
and  bright.  The  methods  of  teaching  seemed  to  be 
as  in  America. 

But  no  horses  were  forthcoming  and  at  7.00 
Ramos  ordered  one  of  his  men  to  go  out  and  bring  in 
two.  While  he  was  gone  the  rain  descended  in  to  itch  Is, 
and  with  the  fast  gathering  darkness  I  knew  we  were  in 
for  another  wild  ride.  I  had  learned  thai  the  road  al 
best  was  poor  and  intricate  to  follow.     In  half  an  hour 

151) 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IN  NINETY  PAYS 

Ramos's  man  returned  with  the  two  ponies,  accompanied 
by  their  expostulating  owners  who  feared  that  harm 
would  come  to  their  little  beasts.  These  natives  were 
summarily  dismissed  by  Ramos  with  an  air  that  only  a 
haughty  Spaniard  can  assume  when  addressing  one 
whom  he  considers  his  inferior.  The  contrast  between 
the  Spanish  officer  and  the  poor,  distressed  Filipinos  was 
very  marked.  At  eight  we  were  ready  for  our  mounts, 
but  by  the  amount  of  bucking  that  Stone's  little  animal 
did  it  was  evident  that  if  we  had  satisfied  the  owner  we 
certainly  had  not  the  creature  most  concerned.  Stone 
was  thrown  several  times  in  quick  succession  and  then 
he  resigned  the  animal  to  me  with  great  pleasure. 
Being  much  lighter  in  weight  I  found  the  little  brute 
fairly  tractable.  The  saddle  I  had  wras  the  worst  pos- 
sible. It  was  a  native  affair,  altogether  too  small  for 
a  man  of  even  my  dimensions,  and  its  edges  wrere  very 
sharp.  The  net  result  was  very  painful  and  signs  of  the 
effects  were  not  lacking  for  some  days.  At  eight-fifteen, 
immediately  after  a  shower,  we  left  the  barracks.  It 
being  impossible  to  lengthen  the  stirrup  straps  to  a  suffi- 
cient point  I  discarded  the  stirrups  and  let  my  feet  hang 
loosely,  about  a  foot  from  the  ground.  Ramos  w^as  on  a 
white,  China  horse,  and  one  of  his  men  wTas  on  a  pony. 
This  soldier  acted  as  a  scout. 

Before  we  were  a  mile  from  town,  we  w^ere  in  total 
darkness,  and  in  the  deepest  mud  I  had  yet  seen.  We 
floundered  about  amid  curses  of  choice  Spanish  and 
English.  Horses  stumbled.  Ramos's  mount  fell  down 
in  a  pot-hole.  Stone's  pony  went  in  on  top  of  the  two. 
The  animals  struggled  to  extricate  themselves.  They 
scrambled  up  only  to  slip  back,  fighting  and  kicking. 
In  endeavoring  to  escape,  my  pony  slipped  into  another 
place  almost  as  bad,  but  at  the  first  trial  pulled  us  out. 
Stone  finally  dismounted  and  dragged  himself  to  solid 
ground.  His  pony,  thus  relieved,  followed,  and  Ramos 
soon  joined  us.     No  damage  had  been  done. 

The  next  three  hours  were  wild  and  exciting.  It 
was  useless  to  try  to  follow  one  another,  as  much  of 
the  time,  by  no  power  of  vision,  could  even  a  horse's 

160 


CHASING  ORUGA 

head  be  discerned  by  his  rider.  Every  moment  serious 
accident  was  expected.  With  no  warning  at  all,  my 
pony  would  slip  to  his  belly  into  a  mud-hole,  or  a  hind 
leg  would  break  down  the  edge  of  a  brook  beside  the 
road.  A  number  of  times  I  presume  he  went  to  his 
knees,  and  twice  way  down.  So  long  as  the  road  was 
wide  we  were  frequently  hurled  violently  against  each 
other  by  falling  suddenly  into  the  same  gully  when, 
until  the  shock,  we  had  no  idea  of  the  other's  identity,  nor 
often  of  his  proximity.  Upon  one  occasion,  during  a 
heavy  downpour,  we  were  mounting  a  steep  hill  down 
the  middle  of  which,  for  its  entire  length  —  as  well  as 
I  could  judge  - —  a  gutter  about  four  feet  deep  had  been 
washed,  of  the  presence  of  which,  of  course,  all  of  our 
party  were  ignorant.  The  Filipino  escaped,  as  he  was 
traveling  on  the  side,  but  Ramos,  who  was  next,  fell  in, 
his  horse  going  to  his  knees.  Stone's  animal  backed  in 
and  mine  followed,  head  first.  Stone  was  thrown,  but 
not  badly  hurt.  Had  we  known  we  were  in  a  gully  we 
might  have  escaped  sooner,  but  it  was  fully  five  minutes 
before  we  emerged,  after  dozens  of  attempts  at  scaling 
the  banks,  and  then  we  did  not  know  what  had  happened 
till  Ramos,  who  had  an  electric  torch  that  would  work 
at  all  times  except  when  the  most  needed,  made  some 
examination.  But  the  really  amusing  event  of  the 
evening  was  when  the  Filipino  scout  was  inconsiderately 
thrown  over  the  head  of  his  pony,  whose  forefeet  had 
sunk  into  a  bog.  The  native  landed  head  first  in  some 
of  the  most  oozy  of  the  muck.  Ramos  had  said  that  this 
native  could  not  speak  a  word  of  English,  so  you  may 
imagine  my  delight  when  the  Filipino,  as  he  picked  him- 
self up,  sputtered  out  at  his  entirely  innocent  little  horse : 
"You  God  damned  chump  !"  Oruga  could  have  heard 
me  shout  for  a  half  mile.  All  through  the  night  we  were 
halted  at  frequent  intervals  by  outposts.  I  well  recall 
the  first  time.  At  each  barrio  (ward  of  a  town)  the 
native  policemen  were  out  in  force  and  when,  several 
miles  from  Tanauan,  just  as  the  inky  darkness  had 
modified  a  bit,  a  half-dozen,  dim,  shadowy,  white-robed 
figures  suddenly  accosted  me,  as  T  happened  to  !><■  in 

101 


- 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IS  NINETY  DAYS 

advance  by  an  accident,  and,  before  I  could  avoid  it, 
had  seized  my  bridle,  J  fell  sure  Oruga  had  me.  The 
ghostly  appearance  of  these  marauders,  combined 
with  the  entire  surprise  which  they  afforded,  made  my 

blood  freeze,  my  heart  stop,  and  the  cold  chills  run 
down  my  back.  My  muscles,  I  admit,  were  completely 
paralyzed,  and  1  could  have  made  no  immediate  re- 
sistance. Hut  our  Tagalog  scout  coming  up,  I  was  re- 
Leased,  and  Ramos  repaid  the  policemen  of  the  barrio, 
for  such  they  were,  by  compelling  three  of  them  to  go 
ahead  of  us  afoot,  and  show  us  the  correct  road. 

On  several  occasions  we  came  upon  camp-fires 
surrounded  by  native  troops,  sleeping  in  the  rain  on  the 
ground,  with  no  blankets,  their  feet  to  the  smudging 
blaze  that  was  only  used  to  drive  away  the  insects. 

Then  the  trail  narrowed  to  such  a  degree  that  our 
horses  had  to  push  to  carry  us  through  long  stretches  of 
grass  so  tall  that  it  rose  above  our  heads.  What  a 
pleasant  place  to  meet  a  lot  of  Filipino  outlaws  who 
were  on  foot  and  armed  with  scythes !  A  white  man  on 
a  horse  caught  in  such  a  trap  would  have  just  about  as 
much  chance  for  his  life  as  the  icicle  in  the  warmest  of 
imagined  climates. 

Frequently,  for  a  half  hour  at  a  time  one  had  no 
idea  of  the  locality  of  the  others  of  our  party.  By  no 
means  could  any  one  of  us,  for  long  periods,  be  certain 
that  he  was  in  any  road  or  path. 

Thus  did  we  progress,  wet  to  the  skin,  nerves 
pretty  well  racked  by  the  continuous  accidents  and  the 
strain  of  the  long  ride  in  such  darkness,  in  the  very 
home  of  the  outlaws  of  whom  wre  were  in  quest.  Sore 
and  raw  from  the  rude  saddle,  shaken  almost  to  death 
by  short-gaited  ponies,  and  fatigued  by  the  loss  of  sleep 
on  the  preceding  night,  there  was  surely  one  member 
of  the  party  who  was  heartily  glad  when,  after  a  separa- 
tion of  half  an  hour  from  any  of  my  companions,  I 
suddenly  rode  my  pony  hard  against  Stone,  who  wTas 
awaiting  me  to  tell  me  that  Ramos  had  arranged  for  us 
to  stop  at  the  barrio  of  Santol  in  the  house  of  its  head 
man    or   Mayor,    Mr.   Toribio,    a   full-blooded    native. 

162 


C II As IX a  ORUGA 

He   was   known    as    a    faithful  friend    of   our   troops. 

In  a  few  moments  we  were  at  our  host's  house, 
which  proved  to  be  a  typical  bamboo  shack,  of  the 
better  quality.  It  was  set  upon  piles,  about  five  feet 
above  the' ground.  The  space  beneath  the  floor  was 
not  enclosed  and  there  we  hitched  our  four  horses, 
necessarily  in  close  proximity  to  one  owned  by  the 
mayor,  and  in  the  very  midst  of  four  or  five  pigs  who 
grunted  their  displeasure  at  the  lateness  of  our  arrival. 
There  was  also  a  flock  of  hens  in  this  stable. 

We  climbed  a  modern  stairway,  and  entered  a 
place  which  I  shall  always  see  in  memory.  Imagine  a 
single  room  five  feet  to  the  eaves,  twenty  feet  square, 
open  on  the  end  toward  the  morning  sun  from  two  feet 
above  the  floor  to  the  peaked  nipa  grass  roof,  all  dimly 
lighted  by  a  sputtering  lantern  that  hung  from  one  of 
the  rafter  poles,  in  the  centre.  On  the  left  of  the  en- 
trance was  a  pile  of  newly  laid  garlic,  about  twenty- 
seven  cubic  feet  thereof,  and  surely  four  times  as  much 
odor  thereto.  On  the  right  was  a  large,  rough  table, 
surrounded  by  rude  benches,  on  which  lay  five  of  our 
native  troops,  fast  asleep.  Directly  under  the  red 
light,  and  the  central  figure  of  the  picture,  lay  a  baby 
boy,  flat  on  his  back  on  the  bamboo  floor,  a  little 
plump  right  arm  thrown  up  around  his  head.  The 
boy  had  on  a  shirt  which  could  never  have  reached 
below  his  waist,  and  now  came  only  about  half 
there  and  was  slit  up  the  front  from  top  to  bottom,  so 
that  its  wings  lay  on  the  floor,  one  on  either  side.  A 
girl  of  some  ten  years  lay  with  one  leg  across  the  baby's 
extended  left  arm,  and  the  mother  and  five  other 
children,  three  young  women  and  two  babies  lay  in 
various  stages  of  nudity,  some  by  themselves,  others 
side  by  side,  under  the  same  cheap  covering,  a  sheet  six 
feet  square  with  two-inch  wide  red  and  white  stripes. 
One  of  these  cloths  covered  the  bodies  of  the  mother 
and  the  two  babies.  The  nude  baby  boy  suddenly 
coughed  and  a  girl  of  some  seventeen  rolled  near  and 
covered   the   little   tot   with   a   corner   of   her   sheeting. 


163 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IN  NI1TETY  DAYS 

The  father  of  all  this,  His  Honor,  the  Mayor  of  Santol, 
sat  up  and  winked  at  us,  said  we  were  welcome,  and 
carefully  unfolded  a  oipa  rug,  one  sixty-fourth  of  an 
inch  thick,  about  seven  feet  square,  obviously  placed  it 
as  far  from  his  daughters  as  possible  and  indicated  that 
that  was  to  be  our  bed.  Ramos  promptly  got  the  berth 
nearest  the  young  women  after  thrusting  his  electric 
torch  into  the  blinking  faces  of  each  of  them  on  the  plea 
that  he  had  heard  that  one  of  them  was  pretty.  The 
old  gentleman  gave  each  of  us  a  pillow,  made  of  I  don't 
know  what,  —  done  up  in  a  section  of  an  eight  cents 
a  yard  red  cotton  tablecloth,  —  which  was  as  hard  as 
the  whiskey  bottle  upon  which  I  had  reposed  the  night 
before.  We  stretched  ourselves  out  on  the  mat,  four 
of  us,  including  our  native  scout,  who  lay  on  my  right, 
and  the  night  had  begun. 

I  think  the  horses  duelled  with  their  heels  and  teeth 
about  every  half-hour  of  that  night;  and  they  disturbed 
not  only  the  pigs  and  hens,  for  on  more  than  one  occasion 
a  resounding  whack  from  an  angry  set  of  hoofs 
intended  for  a  brother  horse,  doubtless,  drove  my  head  up 
from  the  floor,  which  was  only  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick 
and  effectually  dissipated  restful  slumber.  I  examined 
the  floor  and  found  it  of  split  bamboo,  made  of  slats 
about  ten  feet  long,  seven-eighths  wide,  each  two  slats 
set  one  quarter  of  an  inch  apart,  so  that  there  were 
many  odors  that  very  naturally  arose  from  beneath, 
to  mingle  their  sweetness  with  that  of  the  insufferable 
gailic  near  which  we  lay. 

After  Ramos's  actions  there  was  no  hope  that  the 
watchful  father  would  extinguish  the  light  --  had  I 
been  in  his  place,  I  would  surely  have  lighted  three 
more  —  and  its  gleams  added  a  ghostly  pallor  to  the 
strange  scene.  The  rain  fell  heavily  and  steadily,  and 
when  Ramos  called  at  five-thirty  "It's  daylight"  our 
clothing  was  as  wet  as  when  we  lay  down,  although  the 
roof  did  not  leak.  At  the  first  sound  the  girls  were  so 
frightened  at  our  presence  that  they  scampered  hurriedly 
to  the  house  of  a  neighbor.     Stone  said  to  me  "The  old 


164 


CHASING  ORUGA 

folks  always  get  their  girls  out  of  the  way  as  soon  as 
possible  after  troops  enter  the  vicinity." 

This  led  to  a  discussion  of  some  of  the  morals  of 
the  Filipino  women.  They  seem  to  rest  upon  the  follow- 
ing basis :  it  is  regarded  as  a  perfectly  proper  arrange- 
ment for  a  white  man  to  have  a  daughter  of  a  native 
household  enter  his  house,  provided  he  previously  fixes 
certain  details  with  her  parents.  Among  these  circum- 
stances is  a  definite  decision  as  to  the  amount  of  money 
she  is  to  be  paid  each  month,  how  much  she  is  to  be 
allowed  for  clothing,  and  the  sort  of  house  and  style  in 
which  she  is  to  be  installed.  When  this  is  done,  there 
is  nothing  immoral  in  the  relationship  beginning.  It 
may  continue  as  long  as  the  bargain  is  fulfilled.  If  the 
man  does  not  keep  his  word,  or  is  tired  of  her  she  may 
leave  him  and  return  to  her  parents,  and  she  is  in  just 
as  good  social  and  moral  standing  as  before  she  quitted 
her  father's  home. 

Intimacy  under  other  circumstances  was  considered 
immoral,  save  where  the  father  or  mother  sold  their 
daughter's  transitory  favors.  This  latter  arrangement, 
however,  was  hardly  considered  in  the  best  of  form. 

If  the  man  were  blind  or  the  night  as  dark  as  that 
in  which  we  had  been  traveling,  some  of  these  knock- 
kneed,  slab-sided,  black-toothed,  bony,  flat-headed 
creatures  with  retreating  forehead  might  be  attractive, 
but  I  hardly  could  conceive  of  any  other  way  in  which 
their  charms  ( ?)  could  appeal  to  an  American  gentle- 
man. And  yet  there  is  another  explanation,  and  that 
is  the  climate.  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  the 
moral  sense  becomes  blunted  in  many  a  Caucasian 
in  the  tropics. 

The  mind  enters  a  lethargy  which  paralyzes  the 
acuteness  and  alertness  which  one  possesses  in  a  cooler 
climate.  Perhaps  the  remark  to  Mrs.  Chamberlin  of 
a  splendid  Dutch  fellow  on  the  way  to  Europe  from 
China  illustrates  as  well  as  anything  what  I  mean. 
He  had  been  lonely  in  Java,  and  was  homeward  bound. 
"Do  you  know,"  he  stated,  "it's  a  good  thing  for  a 
young  man  in  the  tropics  to  go  home  once  in  a  while. 

165 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IN   NINETY  DAYS 

He  forgets  if  he  doesn't."  That,  1  think,  explains  many 
things  1  saw  in  the  Bast.  The  European  or  the  Ameri- 
can has  really  forgotten;  so  do  not  blame  him  too  much, 
until  you  have  tried  to  live  there  yourself. 

It  is  interesting  to  consider  that  when  with  child, 
the  Filipino  mother  is  at  the  zenith  of  her  pride.  When 
the  approaching  event  plainly  easts  its  shadow  before, 
she  sets  out  jubilantly  on  a  round  of  visits  to  the  huts  of 
her  friends,  far  and  near,  and  receives  the  congratula- 
tions of  all. 

To  my  surprise  I  found  that  I  had  contracted  no 
cold  during  the  night  at  the  Mayor's.  Later  in  the  day, 
when  riding,  1  often  became  chilled  and  wTas  promptly 
made  to  alight  by  Stone  to  get  thoroughly  wet  again  in 
the  warm  rain,  which  restored  my  usual  temperature  and 
effectually  guarded  me  from  harm. 

The  roof  under  which  we  had  tried  to  sleep  was 
about  four  inches  thick,  of  nipa  straw.  The  barrio 
was  without  a  drop  of  drinking  water  other  than  what 
was  brought  by  natives  a  distance  of  about  five  miles, 
in  long  bamboo  joints,  stopped  at  either  end. 

I  had  promised  myself  a  visit  to  the  volcano  Taal, 
from  whose  slopes  we  were  but  a  short  distance,  but 
we  knew  the  terrific  rain  would  make  the  ascent  un- 
satisfactory, and    I    abandoned  the  project. 

No  sooner  were  the  some  twenty  of  us  awake 
then  all  of  the  natives,  including  every  child  old  enough 
to  do  so,  lighted  a  cigarette.  Awaiting  breakfast,  I 
inspected  the  establishment.  An  opening  in  one  corner 
of  the  floor,  entirely  unshielded  from  the  remainder  of 
the  room,  was  the  only  convenience  afforded  for  the 
exercise  of  the  necessary  usual  bodily  functions  of  the 
members  of  the  household.  The  sides  of  the  house  were 
nipa  basket-work.  Practically  everything  was  kept 
in  nipa  sacks  about  the  shape  and  dimensions  of  the 
American  paper  flour-bag.  The  family  was  first  ready 
to  eat.  They  squatted,  half  a  dozen  of  them,  on  their 
heels,  about  a  single  gourd  filled  with  rice;  each,  as 
desired,  dipped  into  this  common  supply  with  the  hand, 

166 


CHASING   OBUGA 

and  the  contents  rapidly  disappeared.  When  the  meal 
was  terminated,  the  mother  daubed  some  betel  nut  with 
lime  (the  latter  from  oyster  shells  in  Lake  de  Taal,) 
which  she  extracted  from  a  small  whittled  cup  (which  I 
promptly  purchased)  and  then  devoted  her  attention  to 
my  curiosity.  I  purchased  entirely  by  signs  —  bidding 
one  piece  of  money  after  the  other  —  a  bolo,  a  saddle, 
a  nipa  bag,  the  wooden  spoon  with  which  they  had  stirred 
their  rice,  and  several  other  small  articles,  spending  in 
all  about  to  a  dollar.  I  took  such  an  evident  interest  in 
everything  that  the  entire  family  assumed  a  broad  smile 
of  appreciation,  and  voluntarily  exhibited  all  that 
the  place  could  present. 

The  bolo  was  in  a  scabbard  made  of  two  pieces  of 
split  wood  bound  together  every  three  or  four  inches 
with  withes.  The  blade  was  more  or  less  exposed. 
This  design  of  scabbard  seems  to  be  quite  generally 
followed  in  the  East  as  a  number  of  weapons  which  I 
secured  at  various  ports  were  similarly  equipped.  To 
an  American,  who  invariably  encircles  the  scabbard 
with  one  hand  and  draws  with  the  other,  this  split 
scabbard  is  a  dangerous  affair,  as  I  have  since  several 
times  demonstrated  to  my  entire  satisfaction. 

I  strung  my  bolo  to  my  waist,  on  the  left,  and  felt 
tougher  than  ever.  Before  we  left  they  gave  me  several 
of  the  best  things  they  possessed  and,  poor  and  naked  as 
they  were,  resolutely  refused  to  accept  a  penny  although 
the  temptation  must  have  been  very  great.  Truer 
courtesy  I  never  have  seen.  Ten  cents  in  money  meant 
a  large  sum  to  them. 

Then  Ramos  —  what  a  devil  that  fellow  was! 
His  next  stunt  was  to  photograph  the  entire  family, 
although,  so  dark  and  rainy  was  it,  that  four  hours  ex- 
posure would  have  fastened  nothing  on  a  film.  In  a 
long  harangue,  in  Tagalog,  which  Stone  translated  to 
me,  Ramos  explained  that  1  was  a  great  American  his- 
torian, and  that  I  was  even  then  traveling  in  the  Philip- 
pines with  a  large  escort,  to  secure  material  for  a  great 
history  of  the  Philippines  and  their  people,  especially  of 
theTagalogs.     The  Mayor  was  visibly  impressed  and  the 

167 


ABoexn  'nil-;  would  is  xinety  days 

mother  awed.  Continuing,  the  Spaniard  said  that  my 
books  were  known  all  over  the  world;  that  many  of 
them  could  be  seen  in  Manila  and  that  I  was  probably 
the  greatest  author  who  had  ever  lived;  and  that  now  I 
especially  requested  that  the  speaker,  who  was  one  of 
my  escort,  would  secure  a  photograph  of  the  Mayor 
and  his  family.  They  expressed  great  willingness  to 
accommodate  me;  and  with  entire  solemnity  the  young 
Spaniard  ranged  the  half-dozen  members  of  the  house- 
hold against  the  garlic  of  execrable  memory.  The 
Mayor,  in  his  transparent  cotton  shirt,  red  and  white 
checked,  in  large  squares,  worn  over  his  only  other  gar- 
ment, a  pair  of  white  cotton  trousers,  extending  about 
half  way  to  the  ankles,  and  with  his  feet  bare,  occupied 
the  right  of  line.  Then  came  his  hollow-chested, 
bow-legged,  barefooted  wife,  in  a  loose,  low-cut  wTaist 
and  shawl-like  skirt,  her  mouth  crammed  with  betel 
nut,  and  a  nude  baby  sucking  at  her  wasted  breast. 
Then  came  other  children,  the  boy  with  the  split 
shirt,  and  a  couple  of  young  girls  —  all  save  the  mother 
and  the  two  babies  smoking  cigarettes. 

Ramos,  with  great  patience,  made  them  change 
places,  then  change  again,  always  keeping  up  a  running 
fire  of  talk  about  my  greatness,  and  the  necessity  of 
their  appearing  well  or  else  my  wonderful  history  would 
be  injured.  If  they  did  well,  he  promised  the  father  a 
copy  of  the  work,  at  which  all  who  were  old  enough  to 
understand  smiled  happily. 

After  making  the  mother  move  the  nursing  babe 
from  one  side  to  the  other,  the  tormentor  announced  that 
all  was  ready  and  taking  my  camera  pointed  it  at  the 
wondering,  awed  group,  gave  a  final  "Sh!"  which  made 
them  exert  all  their  forces  to  keep  their  poses,  snapped 
the  range-finder  and  dismissed  them  with  a  long  flowery 
peroration  on  the  service  they  had  done  the  Tagalog 
people  by  immortalizing  their  own  countenances. 

Our  breakfast  wTas  boiled  eggs,  rice  and  coffee, 
without  milk.  Upon  our  host  assuring  us  that  some 
water  had  been  boiled,  we  filled  our  empty  canteens 
with  it;  but  none  of  us  dared  to  touch  it  all  the  day  long. 

168 


CHASING  ORUGA 

At  eight-forty  we  set  out  for  home.  The  work  of 
my  companion  was  probably  done.  It  was  useless  to 
continue  the  expedition  with  the  roads  in  such  a  con- 
dition, and  growing  worse,  as  they  were,  every  minute, 
under  the  terrific  rain  that  showed  little  evidence  of 
abating  its  vigor. 

Before  we  had  gone  a  mile,  however,  we  were  sur- 
prised at  what  was  plainly  volley-firing,  which,  to  me, 
appeared  not  very  many  miles  distant.  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  scattering  shots  and  then  more  resounding 
volleys.  It  was  the  sound  of  battle!  Stone  swung  his 
hat  and  yelled  "They've  struck  him.  By  -  -  they've 
struck  him!"  He  was  the  very  incarnation  of  the 
glorification  of  battle.  There  was  more  volleying  - 
more  scattering  shots.  I  felt  such  exhilaration,  such 
elation  as  never  came  to  me  before.  I  know  the  wild 
ecstasy  of  battle.  If  such  a  sensation  could  be  pur- 
chased, the  whole  world  would  bankrupt  itself  to  pay 
the  price. 

This  was  followed  by  keen  regret  that  we  were 
not  there  when  the  brush  was  taken;  but  still  we  were 
all  smiles,  for  much  of  the  forenoon,  at  the  thought  that 
the  expedition  was  successful. 

A  short  route  was  taken  and  we  were  soon  at  Santo 
Tomas.  Here  we  called  on  Malvar,  a  famous  general 
in  the  old  days.  He  impressed  me  as  a  large-minded 
man,  and  I  am  inclined  to  place  him  as  a  broader 
guaged  man  than  any  other  native  I  met.  He  offered 
us  beer  and  cigarettes  and  said  that  he  did  not  think 
Aguinaldo  the  ablest  general  the  Filipinos  had.  To 
his  mind,  Luna,  whom  Aguinaldo  is  reputed  to  have 
ordered  assassinated,  was  a  far  more  capable  military 
leader.  Malvar  had  the  air  of  a  man  sure  of  himself, 
and  spoke  in  the  low,  quiet,  modest  tone  of  I  lie  man  of 
much  experience.  Several  American  officers,  hearing 
of  our  presence,  called,  and  I  noted  that  their  host  was 
especially  cordial  if  he  learned  that  a  gentleman  had 
fought  against  hi  in. 

At  eleven-twenty  we  were  at  Ramos'  barracks  once 
more;  and  thence  we  traveled  by  two- pony  carromata  t<> 

169 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IN  NINETY  PAYS 

Calamba,    arriving    at     three-five    in    the    afternoon. 

On  the  road  we  often  passed  strange  Americans.  I 
wanted  to  hug  every  one  of  them,  but  Stone  and  they 
looked  like  images,  and  never  indicated  that  either  had 
seen  the  other.  To  my  expressed  astonishment.  Stone 
replied  that  no  Americans  in  the  Islands  now  ever  spoke 
unless  introduced,  no  matter  how  remote  they  might  be 
from  the  centres  of  population,  to  stranger  countrymen. 

Stone    left   for    Binan,    I   for    Los    Banos,    a    short 


Going  to  Calamba  Market 


journey  by  water.  There  was  a  road  to  my  destination 
but  I  was  assured  that  it  was  impassible. 

All  of  the  towns  which  I  visited  were  directly  con- 
nected by  telephone  and  telegraph  with  Manila  and  with 
each  other,  under  the  administration  of  the  United  States 
Signal  Corps. 

These  conveniences  had  been  established  in  the 
early  days  of  our  occupation  and  their  network  may    be 

170 


CHASING  ORUGA 

conservatively  said  to  extend  substantially  to  all  the 
towns  of  the  Islands.  For  a  mile  I  walked  through  the 
town  of  Calamba  with  no  white  man  in  view,  while 
scores  of  natives  were  on  every  hand.  I  was  not 
exactly  at  ease,  I  admit,  but  having  been  told  that  there 
was  no  danger  I  continued.  Arriving  at  the  edge  of  the 
Lake,  I  hailed  a  sailing  banco,  a  sailboat  with  bamboo 
balancing  poles  resting  on  the  water  on  either  side, 
about  ten  feet  from  the  boat.  Immediately  a  boy  of 
some  sixteen  who  could  not  have  weighed  in  excess  of 
one  hundred  and  ten  pounds,  dropped  into  the  water  and 
waded  to  me.  I  did  not  understand  what  was  to  be 
done,  but  when  the  little  fellow  approached  me  and 
doubled  over,  back  toward  me,  I  proceeded  to  climb 
onto  him.  He  promptly  shook  me  off  and  indicated 
that  I  was  to  sit  on  his  shoulder  with  my  legs  dangling 
down  over  his  chest. 

I  doubted  the  ability  of  my  horse  to  carry  me,  but 
as  he  did  not  appear  anxious,  I  gave  him  my  confidence, 
and  it  was  well  placed.  He  pushed  me  aboard  the 
rickety  sloop,  without  wetting  me  even  with  a  drop  of 
water,  not,  however,  an  important  point  just  then,  as  1 
had  been  unable  to  enjoy  any  dry  clothing  for  forty- 
eight  hours 

The  boat  was  about  thirty  feet  over  all,  with  a 
huge  mainsail  and  a  jib.  It  looked  as  if  a  storm  were 
approaching,  but  I  had  little  fear  as  I  felt  confident  those 
natives  would  be  competent  sailors.  There  was  a  basket 
work  cover  over  the  centre  of  the  boat,  but  too  low  to 
admit  of  my  sitting  upright  under  it,  so  that  I  was 
obliged  half  to  recline  against  a  native  who  had  a  rooster 
with  him.  There  were  also  four  other  native  passengers, 
including  one  young  woman.  All  smoked  cigarettes. 
The  crew  consisted  of  an  elderly  man  and  three  boys. 

Not  more  than  ten  minutes  had  elapsed  since  my 
coming  aboard  when  we  were  struck  by  a  violent  squall 
of  wind  and  rain.  In  my  awkward,  cramped  position, 
with  rain  dripping  down  all  over  me,  with  the  boal 
shipping  water  at  every  wave,  until  two  of  the  other 
passengers  began  to  bail  with  large  tins       for  we  were 

171 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IS  NINETY  DAYS 

quarter  filled-  with  the  sloshing  of  the  outriggers  as 
tney  splashed  into  the  waves,  first  on  one  side  and  then 
on  the  other,  as  we  careened  heavily;  with  the  exciting, 
ear-splitting  shouts  of  the  crew  and  its  director,  who 
were  now  stationed  out  on  the  windward  outrigger  to  keep 
us  from  capsizing,  I  cannot  say  that  I  was  content. 
Yielding  to  the  frantic  appeals  of  the  captain,  enforced, 
as  indeed  were  the  most  of  his  earnest  remarks,  by 
numerous  repetitions  of  "God  damn  it!"  two  of  the 
passengers  worked  their  way  out  upon  the  bamboo 
outrigger  and  stood  there  clinging  to  the  guy-ropes, 
tossed  now  way  up  in  the  air,  now  buried  waist-deep  in 
the  wild  water  as  we  careened. 

By  a  strange  lack  of  foresight,  the  Tagalog  language 
is  devoid  of  forcible  expletives;  and  undoubtedly  one 
of  the  most  benevolent  things  we  have  done  for  the 
Filipinos  is  to  introduce  our  choicest  cuss  words.  The 
fact  that  the  only  English  words  many  of  the  natives 
acquire  are  of  this  character  is  the  best  evidence  in  the 
world  of  the  crying  demand  and  value  of  just  such  ad- 
ditions to  their  limited  vocabulary. 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  confinement  to  my  recumbent 
position,  I  should  have  been  more  at  ease;  but  to  be 
battened  down,  as  I  was,  in  effect,  with  so  much  pitching, 
flying  water  and  screaming,  for  I  was  the  only  one  not 
engaged  in  emmitting  shouts  of  terror,  was  trying  on  the 
steadiest  of  nerves,  and  I  found  use  for  all  of  my  self- 
control.  Had  the  others  not  excited  my  derision  so  by 
their  plain  terror,  I  would  have  been  probably  much 
more  frightened. 

But,  never  again !  Once  will  do  very  well.  It  was 
perfectly  apparent  that  in  time  of  stress  and  danger 
the  native  Filipino  is  entirely  helpless  in  all  functions 
of  reason  or  body  except  in  lung  exercise,  and  all  the 
testimony  I  secured  upon  this  point  was  to  the  same 
effect.  They  "lose  their  heads"  entirely  when  danger 
comes,  and  shoot  up  in  the  air  or  down  into  the  ground. 

After  an  hour  of  such  experience  we  approached 
Los  Bafios.     The  rain  had  ceased  and,  after  some  difB- 


172 


CHASING  DRUG  A 


culty,  my  landing  was  effected  by  placing  an  end  of 
one  of  the  outriggers  on  the  shore.  On  this  round 
bamboo  pole  I  balanced  myself  and  walked  to  land, 
a  thoroughly  relieved  man  I  can  assure  you.  To  be 
drowned  like  a  rat  in  a  trap  is  about  the  worst  end  one 
can  imagine,  and  I  had  been  confronting  it  for  some  time. 
As  I  stepped  ashore  I  noted  that  a  family  were 
bathing  not  over  ten  feet  distant,  the  father  with  nothing 
to  hide  his  nakedness,  the  young  boy  likewise.  The 
latter  was  engaged  in  scrubbing  his  mother's  back. 

Los  Bafios  (The  Baths)  is  a  delightful  place,  fairly 
honeycombed  with  hot  springs  of  almost  boiling  tem- 
perature. Here  we  have  a  hospital  for  our  troops. 
The  scenery  about  is  beautiful.  The  hills  are  not  too 
high  to  have  lost  their  vegetation,  and  are  of  sharp  pro- 
file, and  striped  with  many  white  waterfalls  whose 
music  is  eternal.  All  in  all  it  was  the  only  beautiful 
place  I  visited. 

In  the  morning,  on  hearing  the  whistle  of  my 
steamer,  I  hurried  to  the  shore  and  hired  two  boys  to 
take  me  out  to  her  in  a  banco. 

They  paddled  about  and  finally  took  me  back  from 
where  I  had  started  as  the  steamer  was  to  come  to  the 
wharf,  which,  of  course,  the  boys  knew  all  the  while 
from  the  pile  of  stores  and  merchandise  that  lay  on  its 
piles.  But  I  had  not  seen  these  evidences,  so  the  little 
naked  rascals  found  me  an  easy  target  and  exacted  ten 
cents  from  me  for  each  of  them  before  I  stepped  into 
their  crazy  cockleshell.  I  was  helpless,  except  that  I 
returned  good  for  evil  by  giving  them  in  so  forcible  a 
manner  that  they  must  even  now  recall  them,  a  number 
of  words  the  equivalent  of  which  unfortunately  did  not, 
as  already  suggested,  exist  in  their  dialect  until  my  visit 
to  Los  Bafios. 

The  trip  to  Manila  was  without  incident.  The 
steamer  was  the  same  as  that  upon  which  I  had  come 
to  Binan,  three  days  previous. 

In  the  capital  city  I  soon  learned  that  Oruga  had 
not  been  seen  by  any  of  our  men  and  that  the  volleying 
and  scattering  fire  which  had  so  aroused  me  were  only 

17:; 


AROUND    THE   WORLD   IN  NINETY  DATS 

blasting  od  ;i  roadway  which  the  government  was  build- 
ing;   and  that,  owing  to  the  condition  of  the  roads,  the 

movement  had  boon  postponed.     Exit  Oruga  from  my 
life-    and    I    have   not   since  heard   that   he  has  been 

captured. 


174 


CHAPTER  X 


DEWEY'S  VICTIMS  AND  MANILA 

It  was  late  Sunday  afternoon,  August  7th,  when  I 
arrived  at  Manila  from  the  chase  after  Oruga. 

The  first  thing  I  saw  that  I  now  recall  vividly, 
and  that  found  a  place  in  my  note-book  was  that  Mrs. 
Chamberlin's  hair  had  turned  very  gray.  She  was  in  a 
highly  nervous  state,  did  not  sleep  well,  never  more  than 
an  hour  at  a  time,  ate  poorly,  and  could  do  but  little 
without  becoming  much  exhausted  and  was  clearly  on 
the  verge  of  nervous  wreck.  But  it  was  the  change  in 
her  hair  that  startled  me  to  the  real  situation.  I  knew 
that  only  the  most  serious  conditions  could  explain  such 
an  incident  and  I  anxiously  counted  the  hours  to  our 
departure  from  this  land.  In  considering  my  duties 
yet  to  be  done,  I  saw  that  I  should  not  leave,  if  it  could 
be  safely  avoided,  before  the  thirteenth,  as  originally 
planned;  but  the  Korea,  one  of  the  palaces  of  the 
Oriental  service,  was  to  leave  for  Hong  Kong  on  Tues- 
day, and  I  urged  that  my  companion  accompany  some 
friends  on  that,  for  I  had  been  informed  that  the  climate 
of  China  would  be  far  more  agreeable  than  that  of 
Manila.  But  she  would  not  consent.  She  would  go 
with  me  as  long  as  she  could. 

Monday  I  spent  at  the  government  offices  and  in 
the  continuation  of  my  search  for  Aguinaldo. 

Captain  Grove  not  yet  having  returned  from  the 
Oruga  affair,  I  inquired  of  the  police  department. 
It  could  tell  me  nothing  definite.  It  reported  thai  it  was 
paying  no  attention  to  the  late  leader.  In  company  with 
one  of  the  heads  of  the  secret  service  department,  Mi. 
Hard,  I  went  to  see  Maximano  Etosales,  one  of  Agnin- 
aldo's  stanchest  friends.  Upon  inquiry  at  the  door,  we 
were  informed  that  Senor  Rozales  was  away.  Mr. 
Hard  replied  "Tell  him  that  Mr.  of  the  Secret  Ser- 

vice has  sent  us  here  to  see  him." 

175 


ABOUND  THE  WORLD  IX  NINETY  DATS 

In  a  minute  we  were  told  to  enter  and  were  soon 
greeted  by  the  man  we  sought 

In  the  course  of  a  conversation  which  lasted  half  an 
hour,  and  which  was  begun  with  cigarettes  and  liquid 
refreshments,  of  course,  Rozales  said4that  he  had  known 
Aguinaldo  since  the  latter  was  a  little  boy,  and  that  his 
young  friend  had  always  been,  and  was,  a  great  reader. 
lie  said  that  Aguinaldo  was  not  paying  any  attention  to 
politics,  that  he  was  saddened  by  the  misfortunes  that 
had  come  upon  him,  and  that  he  was  now  devoting  all 
his  energy  to  the  development  of  his  farm.  Only  two 
days  before.  Rozales  said,  the  former  leader  had  ap- 
peared at  the  place  at  which  we  were  calling  and  had 
borrowed  several  ploughs.  Where  could  he  be  seen? 
Where  was  his  farm  and  would  he  receive  me  and  talk  ? 

Mr.  Rozales  believed  that  he  was  at  Naic,  on 
Manila  Bay,  some  twenty  miles  from  Manila,  and  he 
was  sure  that  he  would  be  glad  to  see  me. 

My  police  department  friends,  however,  believed 
that  this  information  was  incorrect  and  insisted  that  the 
object  of  my  search  was  at  Cavite,  as  had  Grove's 
informant. 

Still  I  was  uncertain,  and  in  comany  with  Captain 
Sever  of  the  City  Police,  a  Texas  boy,  I  went  to  see 
Felipe  Buencamino,  Aguinaldo's  Secretary  of  War,  who 
had  lately  been  in  the  States.  He  assured  me  that  the 
man  I  sought  was  at  Cavite  toward  Naic  and  that 
Rozales  knew  exactly  where,  as  he  had  often  visited  him. 

I  had  to  choose  and  I  decided  to  try  Cavite,  as  it 
appeared  almost  impossible  that  the  Philippine  Govern- 
ment could  be  in  error  as  to  the  location  of  so  important 
a  man. 

Monday  night  was  a  sleepless  one  for  Mrs.  Chamber- 
lin.  She  had  come  to  where  something  had  to  be  done. 
She  must  leave  Manila,  and  by  ten  Tuesday  morning 
she  had  agreed  to  accompany  our  friends  on  the  Korea, 
and  avvait  my  coming  in  Hong  Kong  a  week  later. 

Captain  Sever  and  I,  on  the  "Bucky  O'Neil,"  the 
large  police  launch  named  for  Mr.  Roosevelt's  martyr 


176 


In  Manila  Bay 


With  Dewey's  Compliments 


i 


We  boarded  this  one 


A  Troop-sJiip 


DEWEY'S    VICTIMS  AM)   MAM  LA 

friend  and  comrade,  started  across  Manila  Bay  for 
Cavite,  ten  miles  distant.  As  a  guest  we  carried  Dr. 
Storror,  mentioned  previously  in  the  Midway  chapter. 

At  a  distance  of,  say,  half  a  mile  from  the  front  of 
Cavite,  lie  four  of  Dewey's  victims.  Three  have  been 
entirely  raised  while  one  shows  only  her  nose  and  for- 
ward deck  above  the  water. 

They  are  all  rusted,  dismantled  hulks.  Their 
plates  were  three-fourths  of  an  inch  thick,  and  made  of 
boiler  iron.  They  seem  toy-ships  compared  with  those 
of  our  splendid  fleet.     We  were  told  that  they  had  been 


The  Ram 

sold  for  junk  and  were  being  torn  into  pieces  as  fast  as 
possible. 

Upon  one  of  them,  which  we  were  told  was  the 
Regina  Christina,  the  Spanish  flag-ship,  and  which  we 
visited,  the  work  was  conducted  by  a  large  force  of  na- 
tives. A  large  number  of  unexploded  shells,  which  ap- 
peared to  be  of  five-inch  calibre,  had  been  collected 
by  a  stanchion. 

I  tried  to  purchase  several  for  souvenirs,  hut  was 
unable  to  do  so.  To  my  intense  surprise,  however,  a 
few  minutes  later,  the  native  foreman  of  the  wreckers 

177 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IN  NINETY  DAYS 

approached  us  and  presented  me  with  five  one-pound 
cartridges,  all  of  which  were  still  loaded.  At  my  ex- 
pressions of  delight  he  showed  his  teeth  in  appreciation 
and  flatly  refused  to  accept  a  silver  piece  which  I  offered 
him.  This  is  a  typical  experience  among  the  Filipinos. 
They  respond  instantaneously  to  honest  interest  and 
sympathy.  That  poor  fellow,  although  he  could  not 
understand  a  word  I  said,  still  could  sense  my  eager 
search  for  relics,  my  pleasure  at  discovering  the  large 
shells,  my  disappointment  at  his  inability  to  sell  them  to 


Dr.  Storror  and  the  Author 

me,  and  my  honesty  in  not  trying  to  steal  anything. 

All  the  interior  works  of  these  ships  which  had  been 
for  months  at  the  bottom  of  the  harbor  had  been  twisted 
and  torn  by  the  flames.  Large  holes  through  the  iron 
plates  showed  how7  true  had  been  Dewey's  aim.  They 
wrere  plainly  riddled. 

Near  where  we  stood  to  have  our  picture  snapped, 
scores  of  men  had  been  roasted  to  death  by  the  red-hot 
iron  plates  and  fierce  flames  that  rushed  over  the  entire 

178 


A  Germ  Factory 


In  Manila 


Wliere  stalks  the  Cholera 


A  Manila  Store 


DEWEY'S   VICTIMS  AND  MANILA 

ship.  They  were  helpless  in  a  scorching  oven.  What 
shrieks  of  awful  suffering  and  frightful  death  must  have 
rent  the  air  even  above  the  roaring  guns  and  the  crash- 
ing and  tearing  of  hostile  shot,  for  the  few  moments 
during  which  the  five  score  of  Spaniards, whose  skeletons 
were  brought  up  from  the  deep  three  years  later,  lived 
in  that  hell ! 

Arrived  at  Cavite,  we  at  once  proceeded  to  the  bar- 
racks of  the  local  constabulary.  There  we  lunched 
and  were  informed  that  Aguinaldo  was  surely  at  Cavite 
Viejo  (old  Cavite)  whose  church  tower  could  be  plainly 
seen  in  the  distance.  It  was  nearly  three  o'clock  before 
we  were  ready  to  make  the  journey  and  the  Korea  would 
leave  at  four,  so  we  decided  to  wait  till  the  morrow 
before  acting  on  our  latest  information,  and  raced  across 
the  bay  in  a  heavy  storm  of  rain  which  prevented  our 
seeing  the  huge  steamer  we  sought,  until  we  almost  ran 
into  her. 

Wednesday  I  divided  between  the  government 
offices  and  riding  about  the  city,  taking  views  whenever 
the  heavy  rain  would  admit  of  it. 

It  is  forbidden  to  ride  faster  than  a  walk  past  the 
building  in  which  the  courts  of  justice  are  in  session, 
owing  doubtless  to  the  fact  that  their  solemn  proceed- 
ings would  be  interrupted  by  the  noise  of  faster  driving. 

As  we  passed  over  a  bridge,  a  little  from  the  centre 
of  the  city,  I  took  some  pictures  which  will  show  the 
dangers  from  disease  to  which  Orientals  constantly 
subject  themselves.  That  illness  can  be  averted  or 
cured  does  not  occur  seriously  to  the  minds  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  East. 

Just  beyond,  we  ran  into  a  puddle  a  hundred  feel 
wide  and  a  hundred  yards  in  length  thai  extended  from 
curb  to  curb.  Here  I  alighted  from  our  carromata  and 
took  several  pictures  of  wading  women. 

Their  head  coverings  were  usually  baskets  or 
bundles  which  their  owners  carry  in  that  way,  to  leave 
the  hands  free  lo  raise  the  skirts. 

From  this  puddle,  I  called  al  the  hospital  for  lepers. 

Those  who  visit  all  the  morgues  .nul  catacombs 

179 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IN  NINETY  DAYS 

better  hall  before  experimenting  with  a  Leper  settle- 
ment. I  have  seen  purposely,  to  I  rain  my  self-control, 
sonic  horrors,  and  many  surgical  operations  of  a  char- 


A  Manila  Puddle 
acter  to  try  the  nerves  of  the  steadiest  and  most  hardened 
of  physicians,  and  I  supposed  I  had  seen  about  as  ghastly 
spectacles  as  the  world  could  afford.    But  I  was  in  error. 
I  had  not  seen  a  leper.      I  had  traveled  too  little. 

180 


The  latest  Style 


In  the  Swim 


An  elderly  Lady 


The  Beggars 


DEWEY'S   VICTIMS  AND  MANILA 

I  have  no  hesitation  in  affirming  that  in  such 
advanced  steps  as  I  saw  it,  the  disease  is  the  most 
awful  sight  that  the  world  affords. 

In  a  word,  it  is  the  exhibition  of  such  putrefaction 
of  the  body,  while  one  is  still  alive  performing  all  the 
functions  and  offices  of  human  life,  as  takes  place  after 
death. 

I  walked  through  hundreds  of  poor  people  con- 
demned to  this  living  death,  forbidden  ever  to  touch 
another  living  soul,   debarred  from   ever  crossing  the 


Eiitering  Manila 


dead  line  of  this  hospital.  Attended  by  ;i  half-dozen 
attendants,  who  were  themselves  victims,  I  walked  from 
ward  to  ward,  looking  into  each  face.  Some  hid  from 
my  view.  The  horror  of  it  all,  the  awfulness  of  the 
sentence  which  had  been  passed  upon  these  people,  the 
frightful  distortion  of  faces  and  limbs,  the  exposure  of 
cheekless  faces,  noseless,  earless-  God!  whal  a  sight 
that  was! 

I  had  to  conserve  all  my  strength  of  mind  and  body 

LSI 


ABOCXD   THE   WORLD   IX   NINETY  DATS 

to  stand  upright,  and  had  any  accident  occurred,  had 

an  additional  horror  conic  upon  me  before  I  had  steeled 
myself  for  the  ordeal,  1  would  have  fainted.  Every 
moment  1  was  in  that  greal  house  of  I  he  living  dead  I 
was  in  danger  of  losing  my  control  as  never  before. 

1  saw  one  woman  whose'  month  extended  to  a  point 
within  an  inch  of  the  right  ear.  She  sat  by  an  open 
window  smoking  a  cigarette,  which  was  inserted  close 
to  the  ear.  Her  entire  jaws  were  wholly  exposed  both 
below  and  above;    her  nose  was  entirely  missing,  and 


A   Manila  Industry 

her  hands  were  bent  backward  until  they  almost  touched 
the  elbows  of  the  arms  to  which  they  were  respectively 
attached . 

It  should  be  here  said  that  she  was  the  most  ad- 
vanced victim  in  the  institution.  My  approach  to  her 
was  signalled  to  me  by  a  soft  word  to  steady  my  nerves, 
and  it  was  fortunate  that  such  precaution  wTas  taken. 

I  carefully  discussed  the  disease  with  the  physicians 
and  learned  that  it  is  not  considered  as  ever  contagious; 

182 


DEWEY'S    VICTIMS   AND  MAM  LA 

that  these  poor  inmates  are  as  happy  as  the  rest  of  us, 
and  that  they  live  exactly  with  the  same  inclinations  and 
temptations  as  far  as  possible,  the  life  of  those  who  are 
in  the  wide  world.  They  have  their  love-affairs  with 
all  the  attendant  joys,  sorrows,  mistakes  and  misfor- 
tunes that  accompany  what  one  of  my  pessimistic 
associates  calls  the  love-disease. 

This  visit  consumed  about  an  hour  in  all,  and  when 
I  returned  to  the  city,  the  mud  puddle  shown  in  the 
foregoing  picture  had  disappeared. 

That  evening  I  spent  at  dinner  with  Commissioner 
Ide,  who  heads  the  department  of  Finance  and  Justice. 
The  only  other  guest  was  W.  Cameron  Forbes,  the 
newly  arrived  Commissioner  who  would  lead  the 
Department  of  Commerce  and  Police,  a  young  Boston 
business  man,  the  son  of  a  daughter  of  Emerson  and 
Mr.  Forbes  of  Milton  and  Boston.  From  my  obser- 
vation of  this  young  gentleman,  I  feel  that  he  is  worthy 
of  the  great  names  of  his  ancestors. 

I  noticed  that  no  wine  appeared  at  the  dinner, 
which  was  elaborate,  and  several  hours  later  I  hap- 
pened to  state  that  I  had  been  trying  bino,  the  vile  liquor 
General  Cailles  had  offered  me. 

The  Governor,  without  making  any  reply,  rang  a 
bell  and  ordered  some  cordial,  and  explained  that  it  had 
been  a  very  dry  dinner  and  evening  thus  far,  because  he 
had  been  led  to  believe  that  I  was  in  the  Islands  dis- 
tributing temperance  tracts  among  the  soldiers.  Thus 
was  I  slandered  for  following  literally  my  instructions 
to  tell  nobody  my  errand  to  the  Philippines.  I  could 
hardly  believe  my  ears  and  I  thought  Forbes,  whom  I 
had  deemed  rather  phlegmatic,  would  fall  off  his  chair 
with  laughter. 

Amazed  beyond  description  I  asked  to  be  enlight- 
ened.  In  response  the  Governor  said  it  was  entirely 
on  supposition  due  to  this:  a  cable  had  recently  arrived 
from  the  War  Department  asking  that  certain  unusual 
rights  be  accorded  me.  The  request  was  so  extraor- 
dinary that  the  Philippine  Government  cabled  an  inquiry 
for  the  reason  therefor.     In  the  reply,  the  War  Depart- 

L83 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IS   NINETY  />.l)'.v 

inent  stated  that  the  request  had  been  preferred  by 
Major-Genera]  O.  O.  Howard,  one  of  my  dearest 
friends.  I > 1 1 1  as  to  my  errand  on  t lie  Islands  no 
intimation  was  given. 

This  lack  of  information,  of  course,  naturally  led  to 
more  speculation  than  would  otherwise  have  been  the 
case;  and  all  unknown  to  me  I  became  not  only  a  person 
of  sufficient  importance  for  two  governments  to  cable 
eleven  thousand  miles  about,  back  and  forth  several 
times,  but  also  the  subject  of  inquiry  between  the 
different  members  of  the  Philippine  Commission,  and  the 
cause  of  some  good-natured  commiseration  extended  to 
my  host,  Governor  Ide. 

Owing  to  General  Howard's  well-known  reputation 
for  Christian  work,  Governor  Ide  concluded  that  I  had 
probably  come  to  distribute  temperance  tracts  to  our 
soldiers,  and  in  walking  down  to  his  palace  that  very 
evening,  in  company  w7ith  Governor  Wright,  Governor 
Ide  had  jokingly  remarked  that  he  had  invited  a  pro- 
fessional temperance  fellow  to  dinner  that  evening  and 
that  as  Forbes  didn't  drink  anything,  he,  Governor  Ide, 
expected  to  have  a  drouth  the  rest  of  the  day.  Wright, 
being  a^ennesseean,  where  it  is  against  the  law  to  drink 
water,  evidently  had  no  desire  to  be  present,  and  we 
had  the  drouth,  sure  enough.  Had  I  not  accidently 
mentioned  the  bino  incident,  I  reckon  Governor  Ide 
wrould  have  passed  the  most  uncomfortable  evening  he 
had  spent  in  his  home  for  some  time. 

The  palace  of  Governor  Ide  showed  how  seductive 
an  Oriental  existence  might  be  to  an  American.  The 
rooms  were  very  large,  furnished  with  splendid  tapes- 
tries, Eastern  armor,  soft  colored  lights,  thick,  rich  rugs, 
beautiful  works  of  Japanese  and  Chinese  bronze  and 
lacquer  and  graceful  candelabra.  Soft-voiced,  obse- 
quious servants  did  one's  bidding;  the  air  was  cooled 
in  some  way,  how  I  know  not;  the  perfume  of  tropical 
blossoms  filled  the  entire  place  and  I  could  w^ell  under- 
stand how  one  to  whom  this  life  had  once  been  a  daily 
experience  would  never  be  otherwise  satisfied.  It 
demonstrated  how  an  acquaintance  with  Eastern  living 

184 


DEWEY'S   VICTIMS  AND  MAX  1  LA 

could  mitigate  the  hard  life  I  was  enduring  in  that  same 
city,  because,  I  could  then  see,  I  did  not  know  how  to 
do  it,  or  lacked  the  opportunity.  A  hotel  could  be  con- 
ducted in  Manila  that  would  be  a  dream  of  comfort  and 
luxury  to  the  charm  of  which  the  most  practical  Ameri- 
can would  immediately  surrender;  but  that  place  has 
yet  to  be  instituted,  and  I  presume  it  is  destined  to  be 
only  a  dream  in  our  day. 

Mr.  Forbes  placed  at  my  disposition  a  large  steam 
launch  belonging  to  the  harbor  inspection  department, 
and  I  was  thus  assured  of  running  down  Aguinaldo  if 
he  were  anywhere  near  salt  water. 


L85 


CHAPTER   XI 


AGUINALDO 

One  of  my  main  purposes  in  the  Philippines  was  to 
see  ami  talk  with  Aguinaldo.  Whatever  the  Filipinos 
or  Americans  now  say  of  him,  he  was  the  leader  of  the 
native  movement  against  Spain  and  against  us,  the 
( lommander  of  the  Filipino  forces  and  the  President  of 
the  Insular  government. 

To-day,  so  far  as  my  experience  permits  me  to 
judge,  the  American  officials  in  Manila  regard  Agui- 
naldo as  a  man  of  very  small  capacity;  and  the  natives 
join  in  this  testimony. 

My  own  impressions  of  the  man  are  all  to  the 
contrary,  and  strongly  defined  and  positive.  And  I 
think  the  great  tasks,  for  they  were  great,  which  he  per- 
formed are  silent  but  immovable  and  convincing  wit- 
nesses to  support  my  view. 

When  the  attacks  in  the  nineties  upon  Spain's  rule 
in  the  Philippines  were  begun  by  the  natives,  Aguinaldo 
was  a  country  school-teacher. 

In  the  course  of  three  or  four  years  he  drew  himself 
up  above  every  other  Filipino  and  became  the  command- 
ing officer  of  the  insurrection,  the  President  of  the  only 
organized  native  government  among  8,000,000  people, 
and  the  first  man  of  his  race  to  be  known  beyond  the 
shores  of  Luzon. 

As  already  indicated  I  wTas  presented  to  a  number 
of  Aguinaldo's  principal  generals  and  members  of  his 
cabinet.  Without  exception,  they  freely  expressed  the 
opinion  that  Aguinaldo  was  not  the  greatest  man  of  the 
Filipino  people,  and  never  had  been;  that  he  was  not 
even  able,  but  was  shrewd,  smart  and  lucky.  Upon  this 
last  they  laid  especial  stress.  They  particularly  stated 
that  he  had  more  luck  than  any  other  of  the  candidates 
for  the  leadership  of  the  insurrection  against  Spain, 
immediately  prior  to  the  coming  of  the  Americans. 

186 


iquinaldo  m  1898 


AGUINALDO 

When  this  luck  is  analyzed,  the  disparagement  of 
Aguinaldo  by  his  erstwhile  companions-in-arms  does  not 
appear  to  be  either  soundly  based,  or,  to  say  the  least, 
generous  or  true. 

The  Filipinos  had  some  trained  soldiers  among 
their  generals.  By  common  consent  Aguinaldo  ruled 
them  all.  Luck  does  not  win  a  succession  of  military 
victories.  -\ 

At  least,  it  never  has,  and  Aguinaldo  certainly  did 
have  a  train  of  successes  against  the  Spaniards;  and 
there  is  little  doubt  but  that  he  would  have  eventually 
utterly  defeated  them  had  his  efforts  continued. 

A  man  of  even  mediocre  ability  cannot  perform 
what  Aguinaldo  did.  A  few  hours  after  I  had  seen  him, 
I  had  a  talk  with  Mr.  Forbes.  Mr.  Forbes  asked  my 
opinion  of  the  man.  I  said  that,  much  to  my  embarass- 
ment  and  surprise,  I  had  formed  an  impression  that 
Aguinaldo  was  a  pretty  large  man,  which  was  contrary 
to  the  judgment  of  every  other  American  in  the  Islands 
so  far  as  I  knew. 

"But  he  must  have  been  a  large  man  to  have  ac- 
complished what  he  did,"  Mr.  Forbes  said.  I  think  so 
and  unless  the  "luck"  theory  can  be  better  detailed  to 
me  than  it  yet  has  been,  I  must  continue  to  believe  that 
the  prevalent  idea  among  the  American  officials  at 
Manila  that  Aguinaldo  is  not  worth  noticing  is  an  error. 

Aguinaldo  was  born  in  Cavite  Viejo  (old  Cavite), 
a  little  hamlet  that  nestles  on  Manila  Bay,  some  three 
or  four  miles  in  the  rear  of  Cavite  proper. 

Now  that  Mr.  Forbes  had  supplied  my  transpor- 
tation, I  carefully  considered  what  I  would  do. 

My  choice  of  the  next  step  was  the  last  given  to  inc. 

The  situation  was  this:  Rozales  said  the  lal<v 
leader  was  at  Naic.  The  officials  at  Cavite*  said  old 
Cavite  —  the  little  hamlet  where  he  was  born.  French 
said  St.  Louis;  and  I  had  just  one  day  that  I  could  gi ve- 
to finding  the  man  J  sought.  In  forty-eight  hours  1 
must  leave  for  China,  and  one  of  these  two  days  was 
already  appropriated  otherwise,  and   I   could   not   visit 

1S7 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IS   NINETY  DAYS 

Naic  and  old  Cavite  in  one  day.  so  my  choice  of  the 
journey  for  the  next  day  was  final.  1  selected  old 
(  Javite.  Accompanied  by  the  best  interpreter  in  Manila, 
Mr.  Fischer,  of  the  office  of  the  Executive  Secretary  of 
the  Government,  we  steamed  for  old  Cavite. 

The  water  was  too  shallow  to  permit  us  to  proceed 
nearer  than  a  mile  to  the  shore  and  we  lay  there  for  an 
hour  tooting  our  whistle  for  somebody  to  come  out  and 
row  me  in.     At  last  our  efforts  were  successful,  and  a 


/  am  ready  to  go  aslwre 


fisherman  paddled  his  rude  dug-out  alongside.  It  was 
one  of  those  rickety,  ramshackle  affairs  about  as  stable 
as  a  canvas  canoe,  but  rendered  safer  by  outriggers 
which  lay  on  the  water  for  the  entire  length  of  the  craft 
some  seven  or  eight  feet  on  either  side.  There  was  also 
a  sun  protecting  thatched  roof  —  too  low  —  over  part 
of  the  thing. 

One  of  the  boatmen  assured  me  that  Aguinaldo 
was  in  the  town.     But  I  did  not  feel  sure.     What  I  did 

188 


AGUINALDO 

feel  confident  of  was  that  these  boatmen  would  like  to 
earn  a  dollar,  whether  or  not  I  secured  more  than  a  ride 
to  the  shore  and  back. 

The  crew  of  my  tug  threatened  to  leave  before  I 
returned,  on  the  plea  that  they  couldn't  wait  out  there 
without  any  "chow"  -food.  I  found  that  lack  of 
"chow"  would  upset  any  bargains  with  natives. 

But  a  little  firmness  seemed  to  impress  them  and  I 
felt  easy.  Mr.  Fischer,  however,  said  that  it  was 
extremely  doubtful  if  we  found  the  tug  there  when  we 
wanted  to  return. 

But  that  was  of  little  consequence.  My  task  was 
to  get  ashore  —  not  to  return.  Before  we  had  proceeded 
far  the  rain  descended  in  torrents,  and  although  we 
huddled  under  our  thatched  roof  we  were  soon  drenched. 
I  noted  that  the  only  one  of  my  oarsmen  who  wore  a 
shirt  displayed  one  made  from  a  gunny  sack  on  the  back 
of  which  appeared  this  inscription,  "Swift's  Hams  are 
the  best."  That  looked  like  home.  I  asked  him  if  he 
could  write  and  he  showed  me  a  letter  which  he  was  com- 
pleting. The  handwriting  was  far  better  than  mine. 
He  attended  school,  but  looked  like  an  utterly  illiterate 
savage. 

As  we  were  paddling  slowly  to  shore  the  talk  of 
Fischer  and  myself  dwelt  upon  some  of  his  experiences 
as  a  governmental  interpreter.     My  diary  relates  this: 

Upon  one  occasion,  several  years  previous,  a  gentle- 
man who  had  been  a  native  officer  in  the  ranks  of  the 
insurgents  had  called  at  the  offices  of  our  administra- 
tion in  Manila  and  in  a  conversation  between  him  and 
one  of  our  officers,  which  was  interpreted  by  Mr. 
Fischer,  my  countryman  had  asked  the  late  insurgent 
what  sort  of  an  experience  he  had  had  with  the  American 
soldiers. 

The  native  replied : 

"You  didn't  fight  fair  at  all.  Now,  when  we  were 
fighting  the  Spaniards,  it  was  fair  on  both  sides.  When- 
ever the  two  forces  met,  both  dug  trenches  and  threw 
up  earthworks  across  the  street.      When  this  was  done 


1 89 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   TN   NINETY   DAYS 

each  force  would  lie  down  and  begin  shooting  at  the 
Other.  Thai  was  fair.  Kilt  you  Americans  would  not 
lie  down  and  the  first  thing  we  knew  you  were  right  on 
top  of  us;  and  then  we  had  to  run.  What  could  we  dor 
You   didn't  fight  fair." 

We  were   directed    to  a    large   native    house,   sur- 
rounded by  banana  and  cocoanut  trees,  and  all  enclosed 
by  a  high  fence,  within  fifty  yards  of  where  we  stepped 
ashore.      The  floor  was  set  up  on  poles.     The  roof  was 
made  of  nipa  and.  except  that  it  was  larger,  the  building 
was  little  better  or  larger  than  the  average  native  hut. 
To  our  knock,  an  elderly  native  woman  responded  and 
said  that  Senor  Aguinaldo  was  at  home,  but  was  prob- 
ably taking  his  siesta.     It  was  just  after  noon,  the  usual 
resting  time.     I  presented  a  letter  of  introduction  from 
Buencamino,  and  we  were  invited  into  the  front  room, 
an  enormous  place.     The  only  furnishings  were  a  giant 
piano  in    one    corner    and    several    hand-carved    cane- 
seated  chairs.     The  ceiling  was  illumined  with  a  large 
water-color  decoration  showing  in  the  rays  of  the  rising 
sun   life-size   figures,    representing    a    Filipino   maiden, 
waving  the  colors  of  the  Filipino  Republic,  breaking  the 
shackles  of  Spain  and  hurling  the  tyrant  Spain  from  his 
throne. 

In  five  minutes,  quick,  springy,  active  steps,  that 
sounded  like  American  shoes  and  American  alertness  of 
action  came  along  the  corrider,  and  Aguinaldo  was 
before  me,  holding  in  his  hand  my  letter  of  introduction. 
He  was  dressed  in  a  khaki  suit  of  military  cut,  with  no 
evidences  of  rank  or  military  display.  He  is  about  five 
feet-five,  with  a  coarse  complexion,  rather  light.  His 
hair  is  black,  and  worn  after  the  Filipino  fashion,  in  a 
pompadour  style.  His  forehead  is  high;  his  cheek 
bones  prominent,  and  his  figure  straight,  erect,  alert, 
well-composed,  "well  set  up"  as  the  army  man  would 
say,  shows  at  once  that  he  has  been  a  solider.  He 
bowed  like  a  soldier,  from  his  hips,  and  his  hand-clasp 
was  strong  and  firm.  His  countenance  was  open,  his 
head  erect,  eyes  square  to  the  front,  looking  directly  at 

190 


Aguinaldo  in  190^ 


AGUINALDO 

the  speaker.     When  he  sat  he  held  his  body  in  the  cor- 
rect military  posture,  but  always  without  effort. 

He  said  that  he  did  not  converse  in  English  but 
in  Spanish  or  Tagalog. 

He  was  frankly  told  that  one  of  my  chief  reasons 
for  coming;  to  the  Islands  was  to  see  him. 

I  tried  to  draw  him  into  a  conversation  upon  per- 
sonal grounds,  by  a  comparison  of  our  ages,  our  occu- 
pations, our  relative  weights  and  height,  but  beyond 
always  replying  to  direct  questions,  he  conceded  no 
interest.  He  said  that  he  was  thirty-five,  and  when  I 
informed  him  of  my  age  he  merely  bowed.  He  appeared 
to  be  waiting,  as  if  well  aware  that  I  had  come  for  some 
definite  purpose  that  did  not  concern  his  height  or  his 
age  or  his  farm.  On  the  latter  subject  he  confirmed 
Senor  Rozales  by  saying  that  he  was  devoting  all  his 
time  to  that  property,  which  now  consisted  of  some  five 
hundred  acres.  He  also  said  that  he  had  read  some  of 
the  histories  of  the  different  countries  of  the  world,  but 
not  many  of  them.  If  he  is,  as  Senor  Rozales  said,  a 
great  reader,  then  he  is  modest,  for  he  spoke  as  if  he  were 
only  a  casual  student. 

He  said  that  he  had  read  our  history  and  was 
familiar  with  that  of  Spain. 

After  I  had  catechised  him  rather  closely  on  such 
personal  grounds  as  I  have  described,  I  laughingly  asked 
him  if  he  wouldn't  like  to  ask  me  something,  as  thai 
would  only  be  fair.  Without  a  change  of  face  he 
replied  that  he  did  not  care  to  ask  me  any  questions, 
lie  would  not  respond  to  my  attempt  to  be  jovial. 

Then  I  broke  the  ice  by  asking  him  how  the 
present  schools  in  the  Islands  compared  with  those 
under  Spain.  lie  replied  that  he  thought  the  old  regime 
was  better  for  the  Filipino. 

His  answers  were  very  slowly  spoken  and  il  was 
clear  that  he  carefully  weighed  each  word. 

1  asked  if  he  had  considered  that,  as  the  best  known 
man  of  his  race,  the  American  people  would  like  to  hear. 


I'.M 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IN  NINETY  PAYS 

in  some  authoritative  way,  what  he  thought  of  our  work 

in  the  Islands;  what,  it' any,  recommendations  he  would 
suggest  for  the  betterment  of  his  people;  and  what,  if 
anything,   his  people  desired   which  they  did   not  now 

have.  1  added  that  it  seemed  to  me  that  a  statement  by 
him  would  he  received  with  much  attention  by  my  people 
and  might  lead  to  direct  results. 

He  said  that  he  had  been  advised  against  making 
any  extended  representations  now.  As  for  his  ideas, 
they  were  known.  What  the  Filipino  wanted  was 
independence.  They  had  fought  for  it  and  that  spoke 
louder  than  any  mere  writing  he  could  issue. 

"  Do  you  think  that  your  people  can  conduct  their 
own  affairs  now  ?" 

"I  do,"  he  at  last  replied.  "I  believe  that  if  we 
were  given  the  opportunity  to  study  the  present  govern- 
ment for  a  year,  so  that  a  Filipino  could  become  familiar 
with  the  workings  of  each  office  held  by  Americans,  we 
could,  at  the  end  of  the  period  stated,  successfully  take 
over  the  administration  of  affairs  and  continue  them  as 
well  as  they  are  now  conducted." 

"HowT  would  you  favor,"  I  asked  him,  "a  scheme 
to  give  you  just  such  a  year's  preparation  as  you  have 
outlined,  with  the  provision  that  if  you  maintained  law 
and  order  and  protected  the  natural  rights  of  man  in  a 
reasonable  degree  for  a  period  of  five  years,  my  country 
would  withdraw  at  the  end  of  that  space  of  time  ?" 

"All  we  want  is  the  opportunity  to  try  it"  was  his 
opinion.  'That  would  give  us  all  we  could  ask.  It 
would  settle  every  question." 

"Do  you  think,"  I  inquired,  "that  your  people  can 
furnish  competent  men  to  replace,  say,  the  members  of 
the  present  Philippine  Commission,  the  highest  power 
in  the  Islands?" 

"I  believe  we  can,  provided  we  are  allowed  full 
access  to  their  offices  during  the  year  devoted  to  our 
preparation,  and  your  people,  in  good  faith,  do  every 
thing  we  think  necessary  to  enable  us  to  see  howT  these 
various  offices  are  conducted." 


192 


AGUINALDO 

"Is  this  your  plan,  or  that  of  some  party?"  he 
asked. 

I  explained  that  it  was  that  of  a  number  of  us  who 
had  studied  the  question,  and  that  we  had  decided  to 
propose  its  adoption.  Our  thought  was  to  ask  his 
judgment  of  such  a  solution  and  then  inform  a  certain 
high  executive  officer  of  what  he  said. 

"Let  me  know  what  he  says,"  he  responded,  "and 
then,  perhaps,  I  may  issue  a  statement." 

I  then  said  that  any  action  of  his  in  conjunction 
with  what  we  called  Anti-Imperialists  in  America  was 
only  hurting  the  cause  of  independence  of  the  Filipino, 
not  only  in  the  islands  hut  also  in  America. 

"Why?"  lie  asked,  evidently  much  interested. 

"Because,"  I  replied,  "they  are  a  set  of  men  whose 
conduct  on  this  question  does  not  recommend  them  to 
us.  We  Americans  are  loyal  at  heart,  and  we  do  not 
accept  advice  from  those  who  oppose  us  in  time  of  war; 
and  that  is  what  these  people  have  done.  More  than 
that,  the  Antis  issued  so  many  reckless  statements 
that  they  had  only  succeeded  in  making  themselves 
ridiculous  in  the  eyes  of  the  average  of  our  citizens. 
To  sum  it  all  up,  a  statement  of  yours  issued  through 
these  people  would  mean  that  you  had  chosen  the  very 
worst  source  in  America  from  which  your  message 
could  come,  if  you  thought  of  moving  the  American 
people." 

"But  isn't  the  Democratic  party  Anti-imperial- 
istic?" he  asked,  earnestly. 

"No,  except  for  political  purposes.  In  a  word  the 
situation  in  my  country,  as  I  understand  it,  is  this. 
Practically  nobody  desires  to  rule  these  Islands  one  hour 
after  you  can  do  it  yourselves.  Nobody  wants  to  make 
a  colony  of  you.  At  heart  the  Republicans  feel  that 
way,  and,  at  heart,  there  is  no  appreciable  difference 
between  the  feelings  of  the  average  Republican  and 
Democrat  on  this  subject.  They  all  want  t<»  assist  you 
to  he  free.  It  is  to  the  dominant  party  that  you  must 
look  for  any  aid,  at  present.  'The  Antis  have  no  weight. 
They  are  discredited,  and  anything  they  may  propose. 


AROUND   THE   WOULD   IN   NINETY  DATS 

no  matter  how  meritorious  it  may  appeal-,  will,  1  fear, 
only  anger  those  in  control.  The  result  of  this  is  that 
those  whom  you  have,  1  am  told,  regarded  as  your  best 
friends,  are,  in  effect,  your  worst  enemies,  if  you  are 
looking  for  results.  If,  then,  you  are  to  accomplish 
anything  you  must  hitch  up  with  the  people  who  con- 
trol, not  with  a  little  knot  of  men  to  whom  nobody  will 
pay  serious  attention." 

lie  listened  very  attentively. 

"Now,  if  at  any  time,  you  desire  to  issue  a  state- 
ment to  the  American  people  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  do 
what  I  can  to  have  it  placed  before  them  in  the  way  that 
will  appear  to  obtain  for  it  the  best  and  fairest  attention." 

"1  may  wish  to  do  that,"  he  replied,  after  some 
thought.  "I  shall  consult  my  friends  about  it  and  then 
perhaps  I  may  have  something  to  say.  But  I  hope  you 
will  write  me  and  tell  me  what  -  -  says  to  the  plan  to 
give  us  five  years'  trial  to  show  what  we  can  do." 

I  replied  that  I  would  certainly  tell  him  all  that  was 
proper;  that  my  judgment  of  the  official  named  wTas 
that  he  would  be  the  first  man  to  suggest  such  a  scheme 
if  he  believed  it  to  have  a  fair  chance  of  success,  and,  as 
for  the  little  influence  I  had,  if  indeed  any  at  all,  I  should 
advise  such  a  trial;  and  after  my  visit  to  the  Islands  I 
had  formed  the  opinion,  very  carefully  and  slowly,  that 
every  official  we  had  in  the  Islands  could  be  replaced 
by  Filipinos  and  that  the  Islands  contained  men  who 
could  carry  the  scheme  to  a  successful  issue. 

Since  the  time  of  that  interview,  August  11th,  1904, 
ten  months  have  passed.  Continued  reflection  on  the 
problem  has  only  served  to  strengthen  the  conclusion 
reached  in  Luzon,  as  first  stated. 

We  then  arose  to  take  our  leave.  Aguinaldo  asked 
kindly  after  Mr.  Fischer's  health  and  length  of  sojourn 
in  the  Islands,  and  when  the  latter  said  that  he  had  come 
over  as  a  soldier  in  1898,  Aguinaldo  said  "You  may 
always  have  a  home  here  in  my  house,"  a  remark  which 
is  the  extreme  of  Tagalog  politeness. 

The    native    leader    then    presented    me    with    his 


1!)4 


~7  .-,  -^^■■^4-  nJ4  /foj. 


^fez^^J^tyj? 


AGUINALDO 

photograph,  upon  which  he  had  written  my  name,  his 
own,  and  the  date. 

He  then  accompanied  us  to  the  door,  said  that  he 
would  be  very  glad  to  hear  from  me,  that  he  wished  me 
to  visit  him  for  a  longer  time  if  I  returned  to  Luzon  and 
then  he  hoped  I  would  have  a  very  pleasant  voyage  to 
the  States. 

As  I  reached  the  street  I  looked  back  and  found  him 
still  in  the  doorway.  I  lifted  my  hat  and  the  last  I  saw 
of  him  was  an  answering  wave  of  his  hand. 


L95 


CHAPTER   XII 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES 

Friday,  the  twelfth  of  August,  was  my  last  day  in 
the  Islands.  Except  for  several  hours  spent  at  the 
Government  offices,  and  in  making  purchases,  the  day 
was  passed  on  the  Pasig,  the  muddy  stream  that  runs 
through  Manila  from  the  Lake  (Laguna  de  Bay)  to 
Manila  Hay,  a  distance  of  ten  miles. 

1  now  possessed  many  souvenirs;  which  meant 
baggage.  In  my  helplessness,  I  applied  to  the  German 
porter  of  the  Bay  View,  who  had  formerly  served  as  a 
sergeant  in  our  army.  He  had  been  kindness  itself. 
I  trusted  him  without  question,  and  when  he  told  me 
that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  purchase  a  trunk  in 
Manila  for  less  than  $18.00  or  $20.00  I  groaned  so  that 
In-  said  that  to  oblige  me  he  would  sell  me  a  camphor- 
wood  chest  which  he  had  for  $10.00,  which  was  far  less 
than  it  had  cost  him,  if  that  would  help  me. 

I  looked  at  the  box.  It  was  just  a  plain,  yellow 
affair  three-quarters  of  an  inch  thick,  without  a  bit  of 
leather  or  metal  to  protect  it.  It  might  have  been 
secured  for  $1.50  in  America;  but,  of  course,  I  took 
advantage  of  my  exceptional  opportunity,  paid  my 
810.00  and  thanked  the  stars  that  I  was  soon  to  get  out 
of  a  robber  country  where  one  paid  five  or  six  times  as 
much  for  conveniences  as  at  home. 

Several  hours  later,  on  meeting  Captain  Sever,  I 
told  him  of  my  good  fortune  in  the  trunk  matter.  He 
looked  amused  and  informed  me  that  Manila  had  boxes 
like  mine  on  sale  at  every  corner  for  $3.00. 

I  was  so  angry  that  he  compelled  the  thrifty  Ger- 
man to  rescind  the  operation  and  I  secured  a  better 
box  from  a  Chinaman  for  $'-2.50. 

Then  there  were  our  bills  at  the  Bay  View.  I  paid 
$0.00  per  quart  for  the  Mumms  Extra  Dry  which  my 

196 


One-eye 


On  the  Bank 


Washing  the  Dishes 


1 

r             ^, 

jp 

^^^k 

if 

■VV-*!  - 

jt        'ti^Ssl  '  ■  ♦ 

tii 

ffijff}^*  *''■■''         .    * 

-tft»3M|  *** 

T/ie  Laundry 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES 

friends  drank  and  confessed  was  worse  than  $1.00  a 
quart  American  champagne.  I  paid  $50.00  per  week 
for  our  board,  and  $60.00  for  carriage  hire. 

Until  there  is  a  street  railway  system  in  Manila 
which  there  will  be  soon,  as  it  is  in  process  of  building- 
living  in  that  city  will  be  very  costly.     It  certainly  now 
costs  a   half  more  than  much  poorer  accommodations 
in  the  States. 

What  money  I  had  left  was  converted  into  English 
sovereigns,  except  a  small  amount  for  immediate  use  in 
China  of  what  is  known  as  Hong  Kong  money,  a  species 


Contentment 

of  English  silver  currency,  on  the  "Mex"  basis  of  fifty 
cents  (approximate)  to  our  dollar. 

This  done,  I  impressed  Captain  Sever  once  more 
and  together  we  rode  lot  lie  Pasig,  where  lie  bargained  for 
boat  and  crew  to  paddle  me  about  by  the  hour. 

I   was   provided    with   a    rude  topless  e;inoe,  free  of 

outriggers,  and  ;i  crew  of  three  a  steersman,  who  used 
a  huge  paddle  at  the  stern  and  two  oarsmen  who  pulled 
hand-made  oars.  The  two  latter  are  shown  in  one  of 
the  pictures,  and  I  so  disliked  and  distrusted  the  one- 
eyed  man  that   I  did  not  t;ik<-  my  eyes  from   him   when 

197 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IN  NINETY  DAYS 

within  his  reach,  nor  did  1  feel  safe  until  the  trip  was 
over. 

For  these  accommodations  I  paid  half  a  dollar  an 
hour.  American  money. 

The  accompanying  pictures  will  give  an  idea  of 
w  hat  can  be  daily  seen  on  the  Pasig. 

Several   miles   from   my  starting  place,  1  was   rowed 
along  beside  some  rice  fields. 

Rice    is    the    staple    food    of    the    Orient.      To    the 


WW 


.;.-«.t      ill  l!«il  1th  I 
A  Honolulu  Rice  Field 


average  American,  this  is  beyond  comprehension.  He 
is  likely  to  believe  that  no  civilized  man  can  constantly 
eat  rice  any  more  than  he  could  eat  —  well,  macaroni. 

From  the  little  experience  I  had  in  the  Orient,  and 
from  conversations  with  those  who  have  longer  tarried 
there,  I  deem  it  safe  to  conclude  that  the  prejudice  of 
our  people  against  this  food  is  due  more  to  our  ignorance 
than  to  anything  else,  or  to  be  definite,  it  is  due  to  our 

198 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES 

failure  to  know  how  to  cook  it  so  that  it  becomes  pala- 
table. 

In  a  word,  we  make  a  mash,  a  half-paste  of  rice 
that  would  be  a  first  rate  emetic  for  a  Chinaman.  He, 
on  the  other  hand,  cooks  it  with  little  water  and  the 
kernals  are  solid  and  separate.  So  prepared  it  has  flavor 
and  is  attractive  to  the  average  appetite.  As  for  the 
other  properties  of  this  staple,  too  much  in  favor  of  it 
could  scarcely  be  recorded. 

In  the  voyage  to  the  Far  East,  the  rice  fields,  or 
"paddies,"  as  they  are  frequently  called,  first  appear 


The  Caraboa  (it  Rest 


at  Honolulu.     The  Philippines  are  full  of  them. 

Nothing  is  now  recalled,  the  American  cull 
of  which  suggests  the  manner  of  raising  rice,  u 
be  that  of  pond  lilies,  or  frogs. 

At  first,  rice  culture  commences  with  the  s 
of  the  raw  kernels  over  ;t  small  plot  of  dry  groin 
;i  month  these  sprout  and  the  young  planl  is  s< 
inches  high. 

Then  the  rice  planter  ploughs  his  paddy, 
a  field  surrounded  by  banks  which  are  about tl 

199 


ntion 

ess    il 

•wing 
.  In 
le  six 

lis  is 
cc  or 


ABOUND  THE  WORLD  IN  NINETY  PAYS 

four  feet  high  and  broad  enough  on  top  to  permit  of 
passage  along  them  by  the  ploughmen  and  their  caraboas. 

'This  operation,  as  1  saw  it  usually  conducted,  would 
make  an  American  stand  aghast. 

An  ox,  in  America,  is  an  express  train  in  comparison 
with  the  earaboa.  The  latter,  it  is  to  be  remembered, 
is  the  only  beast  of  burden  in  the  Philippines,  the  only 
animals  that  farmers  yet  use  in  their  tilling.  lie  is,  if 
one  judges  from  his  habits,  half-ox  and  half-hippo- 
potamus, lie  will  stay  upon  dry  land  until  he  can 
escape  to  a  mudpuddle  -    but  no  longer. 


He  watches  the  Camera 

Captain  Sever,  of  the  Manila  police  force,  said  to 
me  once  that  if  anybody  ever  saw  a  earaboa  drawing  a 
Filipino  at  the  usual  rate  of  speed --which  must  be 
fully  a  half-mile  an  hour  —  he  would  never  doubt  the 
wisdom  displayed  by  the  Almighty  in  giving  one  to  the 
other.  It  is  perfectly  plain  that  neither  man  nor  beast 
desires  to  arrive  at  any  destination  any  sooner  than  it 
appears  likely  that  he  will.  But  sometime  —  soon  or 
late,  the  earaboa  completes  his  task,  for  he  is  steady, 
patient  and  tireless. 

200 


Ploughing  Jiis  Paddy 


Harrowing  it 


Planting  the  Sprouts 


Cultivating  Rice 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES 

Well,  the  Filipino  uses  a  forked  stick  and  this 
animal  for  his  ploughing.  The  soil  is  mud,  soft  and 
slimy,  into  which  one  sinks  half  to  the  knee  at  every  step. 

The  ploughing  done,  the  native  exchanges  a  harrow 
for  the  plow  and  again  wades  in  his  puddle. 

If  the  water  is  less  than  six  inches  in  depth,  he  lets 
in  more  which  he  turns  usually  from  a  stream  through 
a  place  in  the  bank  until  the  entire  field  is  flooded 
to  the  depth  mentioned. 

Next,  he  takes  a  handful  of  his  new  sprouts,  sets 
them  upright  in  the  muddy  bottom,  so  that  their  tops 
just  appear  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  then, 
proceeding  in  as  straight  a  line  as  possible,  he  builds 
perhaps  a  dozen  rows,  depositing  say  six  sprouts 
in  each  for  every  ten  or  twelve  inches  of  his  journey 
down  the  length  of  the  field.  At  the  end  he  turns  and 
constructs  as  many  more  rows  beside  the  first  lot  and 
so  on  —  until  the  entire  lake  is  planted. 

Now,  all  he  has  to  do  is  to  keep  the  weeds  out,  and 
to  see  that  his  water  supply  always  covers  the  roots  of 
his  plants.  It  is  probably  the  easiest  and  surest  crop  to 
grow  that  there  is  and  in  the  Philippines  and  in  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  women  do  the  larger  part  of  the 
cultivating. 

Rice  has  no  enemies  except  a  gale  of  wind. 

In  four  or  five  months  the  sprouts  are  three  feet 
high  and  a  light  green  in  color.  As  they  ripen  they  turn 
yellow  like  sunburned  hay.  Then  is  the  harvest 
time  and  the  owner  and  his  helpers  invade  the  field  with 
the  sickles  and  soon  the  yellow  grain  is  piled  up  and 
ready  for  winnowing  the  operation  by  which  the  rice 
kernels  that  grow  in  clusters  upon  long  spindles,  like 
wheat,  are  separated  from  the  stalks  and  prepared  for 
domestic  uses. 

As  a  rule  rice  yields  two  crops  per  year.  One 
month  is  consumed  between  these  crops  by  the  sprouting 
and  the  ploughing.  It  is  unusual  to  refresh  the  soil 
except  by  water. 

In   the    Hawaiian    Islands,    it    is  common   to  secure 


•2(il 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IN  NINETY  DAYS 

$125  gross  per  acre  for  marketing  the  crop,  where  Ameri- 
can ploughs  and  intelligent  labor  arc  employed,  but  such 
a  result  is  reported  as  rare  in  the  Philippines,  although 
there  is  little  doubt  but  that  the  yield  there  can  be  in- 
creased by  more  intelligent  attention. 

I  returned  to  the  city  in  the  early  evening,  after 
calling  upon  Major-General  Wade,  the  commanding 
officer  of  t  lie  Division  of  the  Philippines,  at  his  residence, 
where  I  found  him  holding  a  veritable  court,  so  sur- 
rounded was  he  by  admiring  women  and  gentlemen. 

It  was  my  last  night  in  the  Philippines  and  the  rain 
was  as  heavy  as  any  I  had  yet  seen. 


202 


CHAPTER  XIII 


CHINA 


Saturday  morning,  August  13,  I  left  the  Philippines 
at  10.30,  on  the  "Kubi,"  a  small  English  steamer 
plying  between  Manila  and  Hong  Kong.  We  carried 
twenty-one  cabin  passengers  and  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  Chinamen,  on  the  deck.  Of  that  voyage  I 
shall  say  little,  save  that  it  was  the  most  uncomfortable 
experience  I  have  ever  had  on  the  sea.  The  only  merci- 
ful features  were  a  temperature  of  but  about  70°  and  a 
strong  head-wind  which  necessitated  the  use  of  blankets 
at  night.  By  one-thirty  on  Saturday  I  was  abed  with 
seasickness,  and  I  was  not  again  on  deck  until  we  were 
in  sight  of  Hong  Kong,  on  the  following  Monday  noon. 

This  ship  —  as  are  all  Oriental  European  steamers 
-  was  provided  with  punkas,  or  heavy  cloth  screens, 
suspended  above  the  centre  of  the  dining-room  tables. 
By  an  arrangement  of  ropes  and  pulleys,  a  boy  seated  on 
the  carpet  outside  the  dining-room  may  cause  each  or 
any  of  these  huge  fan-like  arrangements  to  wave  back 
and  forth  through  the  air,  thus  creating  a  sensible  breeze, 
and  naturally  adding  very  materially  to  the  causes  of 
seasickness. 

In  the  second  class  were  a  horde  of  Chinese,  crowds 
of  whom  always  seem  to  carry  with  them  an  odor  thai 
is  peculiar,  distinctive,  pungent  and  almost  unbearable. 

These  poor  people  were  treated  like  so  many  dogs. 
They  were  pushed,  knocked  and  pulled  about  as  I  have 
never  seen  other  members  of  the  human  family  treated, 
and  they  certainly  lived  in  a  state  of  nudity,  of  privation, 
and  of  general  barbarity  that  is  almost  inconceivable. 
How  human  beings  can  endure  such  nauseous  air,  such 
food,  sueli  odors,  such  hardships,  and  live,  is  not  for 
me  to  comprehend. 

•jo;; 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IX  NINETY  DATS 

1  took  a  picture  of  a  group  as  I  lay  in  my  berth, 
sighting  through  one  of  my  two  port-holes. 

The  China  Sea,  between  the  Philippines  and  China 
is  all  choppy  and  the  aviations  indulged  in  by  the 
"Rubi"  were  wonderful. 

Monday  noon,  land  being  in  sight,  1  emerged. 
From  all  I  nave  heard  L  presume  that  the  harbor  of 
Hong  Kong  is  the  most  beautiful  in  the  world.  It  is  also 
thr  largest  seaport  in  the  world,  a  statement  that  will 
probably  surprise  most  of  you  who  have  followed  us  thus 
Far. 


Through  my  Port-hole     \ 

More  than  fifty  steamers,  flying  every  flag  under  the 
stars,  enter  the  harbor  each  day  in  the  year.  In  total 
annual  tonnage  of  entrances  and  clearances,  Hong  Kong 
surpasses  New  York  and  London  by  over  half  a  million 
tons,  and  Liverpool  by  over  five  million. 

It  must  be  twenty  miles  from  the  lofty  entrances  of 
Hong  Kong  harbor  to  the  anchorage.  This  narrow 
channel  is  bounded  on  either  side  by  green  high- 
lands, that  tower  hundreds  of  feet,  precipitously, 
above  the  waters  edge. 

204 


Approaching  Hong  Kong 


J  links  and  Hotel  Launches 


Nearing  our  Buoy 


The  Engines  Stop 


CHINA 

As  the  city  comes  into  view  one  sees  that  the  busi- 
ness is  done  beside  the  waters  in  rows  of  tall  white 
business  blocks.  Sharply  rising,  in  back  of  them,  on  the 
slopes,  are  the  smaller  trade  marts  of  similar  color; 
while  beyond  them  all,  nestled  here  and  there  against 
the  green  foliage  of  the  mountain  sides  are  hundreds  of 
the  white  homes  of  the  prosperous. 

The  architecture  is  very  ornamental,  and  the  build- 
ings consist  of  windows  with  as  little  wall  as  possible. 


We  employed  this  one 

As  we  approached  the  buoy  the  hotel  launches 
could  be  seen  heading  out,  to  bespeak  our  patronage. 
Close  beside  them  came  other  conveyances  -  sampans 
—  whose  proprietors  also  bid  for  business. 

If  you  will  look  closely  at  the  picture  of  the  sampan 
you  will  see  that  both  the  "oarsmen"  are  women  and 
that  each  of  them  carries  a  little  baby  strapped  to  her 
back.     I  have  seen  it  stated   that    fully   fifty  thousand 

205 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IN  NINETY  DATS 


The  Sam  pent 


n^fs^B 

ft 

^ 

11 

It            Wl 

Wf/ 

§     I 

«Vk 

i       "'    \ 

fe 

J  J[7   » 

5 

Shopping  at  Hong  Kong 
206 


GHINu  1 

Chinese  live  in  these  sampans  in  Hong  Kong  harbor  all 
their  lives. 

Here  in  Hong  Kong  we  first  became  acquainted  with 
the  jinrickashaw.  A  score  of  them,  drawn  by  huge, 
five-foot-ten,  muscular,  splendidly  formed  Chinamen, 
clad  only  in  short  overalls  that  were  rolled  up  to  the  hips 
and  extended  upward  only  as  far  as  the  waist,  awaited 
us. 

Hong  Kong  ^is  a  surprise.  It  is  a  splendid  European 
city  in  Asia.  Its  streets  are  of  asphalt  —  and  wide; 
its  buildings  are  of  handsome  stones  or  of  brick.  There 
are  many  church  spires,  trolley  cars,  arc  lights,  and 
theatres;  a  library,  a  museum,  clubs  that  are  luxurious, 
splendid  large  stores,  in  which  the  Chinaman  who  speaks 
English  is  not  out,  and  hotels  with  the  accommodations 
of  London  and  Paris.  There  is  also  a  daily  journal 
containing  news  from  all  over  the  world. 

As  "The  Hongkong"  is  situated  only  a  minute's 
walk  from  the  dock,  we  walked  there  and  I  found  Mrs. 
Chamberlin  well  and  quite  restored  to  health.  She 
had  slept  each  night  since  leaving  Manila,  had  visited 
Canton,  and  was  now  shopping  for  our  departure  on  the 
"Preussen"  Wednesday  morning  at  ten,  the  seventeenth 
of  August,  for  Naples,  and  home. 

The  Hongkong  Hotel  is  big,  of  solid  granite  or 
similar  stone,  six  stories  high,  with  surely  four  hundred 
rooms.  Its  hallways,  reception  rooms  and  parlors, 
dining  room,  etc.,  are  very  large,  as  are  also  the  guest 
rooms.  Only  a  lattice  door,  so  hung  that  it  prevents 
any  view  of  the  body  from  the  knees  to  the  to])  of  one's 
head,  divides  the  rooms  from  the  hallway,  so  carefully 
are  all  draughts  and  breezes  cultivated.  All  servants 
are  Chinese  men.  The  first  thing  a  guest  docs  man 
or  woman  --upon  entering  his  or  her  room,  in  the  Far 
East,  is  to  throw  off  all  unnecessary  clothing  and  thus 
remain  until  it  be  required  to  make  a  sortie.  As  a  con- 
sequence, all  hotel  servants  were,  long  before  our  arrival, 
surfeited  with  the  beauties  of  the  form  of  the  Caucasian 
race  of  both  sexes;  and  ;i  number  of  ladies,  who  like 
those  of  our  immediate  party,  were  new  to  this  pari  of 

207 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IN  NINETY  DAYS 

tin'  world,  agreed  that  whether  they  had  on  any  clothing 
or  not,  Done  of  the  men  servants  seemed  at  all  interested. 
So  thai  modesty  is  not  at  all  proportionate  to  the  amount 
()['  clothing  one  wears        in  Asia. 

Jungenfeld,  the  noted  engineer,  who  joined  us  at 
Guam,  had  come  on  the  "Rubi"  with  me,  and  he  now 
took  me  shopping  for  clothing.  I  expected  a  very  hot 
trip  to  Europe,  for  we  were  to  go  within  a  single  degree 
of  the  equator,  and  pass  through  the  Red  Sea,  —  the 
honor  of  all  travelers,  --  in  the  month  of  September 
the  worst  month  of  the  year  for  that  trip. 

Walking  out,  I  found  the  mountain  back  of  the  city 
began  to  rise  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  water.  My 
big  ( ierman  friend  advised  the  purchase  of  a  dozen  white 
linen  suits  at  $1.50  apiece.  The  Chinaman  said  he 
would  deliver  them  at  the  hotel  in  twenty-four  hours. 
That  would  surprise  an  American  or  English  tailor,  I 
fancy. 

I  did  not  accept  the  advice  but  purchased  a  helmet 
for  $1.50  and  a  suit  of  khaki  for  $2.00;  also  some  of  the 
thinnest  underwear. 

Shopping  in  the  East  is  a  gamble  with  far  more 
chance  to  it  than  is  afforded  by  roulette,  baccarat  or 
poker.  The  merchant  never  expects  you  to  pay  what  he 
asks.  He  therefore  proceeds  upon  the  theory  that  the 
more  he  asks  the  more  he  will  eventually  obtain,  as  he 
can  regretfully  reduce  his  price  enormously  —  so  the 
buyer  believes  —  and  when  that  is  done,  the  unitiated 
customer  leaps  at  the  bargain  seemingly  offered  and  pays 
two  or  three  times  a  fair  price.  But  when,  to  the  ex- 
hilaration of  a  horse  trade  every  time  a  purchase  is  made, 
you  also  add  the  attraction  that  an  American  feels  at  the 
knowledge  that  the  price  asked  is  in  "Mex."  -  which  is 
cheap  compared  with  our  similar  retail  price  at  home  — 
and  is  therefore  to  be  divided  in  halves,  no  Yankee  can 
be  sensible  long  enough  to  keep  his  pocketbook  closed, 
lie  has  far  less  than  a  fair  chance. 

The  cork  helmet  I  found  the  coolest  hat  I  have  tried 
for  summer  wear.  Upon  occasions  when  I  have  been  in 
the  sun  for  long  periods  with  the  thermometer  at   100° 

208 


CHINA 

Fahr.,  a  little  breeze,  too  slight  to  cool  the  body,  would 
keep  the  head  cool  and  entirely  free  from  perspiration. 
There  is  an  open  space,  between  the  leather  band  that 
fits  to  the  head  and  the  helmet  proper,  of  fully  half  an 
inch,  which  allows  a  free  circulation  of  air.  Moreover, 
the  hat  does  not  weigh  more  than  one  or  two  ounces, 
although  it  may  be  very  large,  and  as  it  is  white,  it 
diffuses  rather  than  collects  the  heat  rays. 

At  a  few  moments  before  nine  we  hurried  to  jin- 
rickashaws  and  I  took  my  first  ride  in  the  famous 
vehicle,  in  the  light  of  a  paper  Chinese  lantern  dangling 
from  a  long  flexible  stick  like  the  top  of  a  bamboo  fishing 
pole,  which  the  human  horse  jauntily  carried.  Ten 
cents  I  paid  for  the  quarter  mile  of  running  my  huge 
fellow  did  with  me,  and  we  travelled  at  the  rate,  I  judge, 
of  seven  miles  an  hour. 

Our  steamer  was  as  good  as  one  finds  on  the  Hud- 
son, here  at  home,  and  Jungenfeld  and  I  had  a  state 
room,  as  the  captain's  guests,  fully  twenty  feet  by  fifteen. 

Between  decks  were  hundreds  of  Chinese  of  both 
sexes.  I  hope  you  who  read  this  may  all  see  such  a  sight. 
It  will  astound  you.  About  half  an  hour  after  we  had 
left  our  moorings,  I  started  to  go  below,  but  on  arriving 
at  the  top  of  the  gangway  which  led  into  the  very  midst 
of  the  Chinese  passengers  I  was  met  by  such  an  odor 
that  I  had  to  retire  or  be  ill.  Upon  speaking  to  an 
Englishman  in  the  crew  he  said  that  the  way  to  do  was  to 
go  right  down  and  that  after  I  had  been  there  a  minute  I 
would  not  mind  it  very  much.  Was  it  safe  for  me  to  go 
alone  ?  Yes,  only  I  was  to  be  careful  and  not  offend 
anybody. 

Accordingly,  I  hurried  down  and  finding  that  the  odor 
was  not  half  as  bad  when  in  it  as  on  its  edge,  I  regained 
confidence  and  moved  about,  but  always  within  running 
distance  of  the  stairway.  I  tried  several  little  excursions 
but  always  returned  to  the  stairway  for  safety.  Such  a 
sight,  I  suppose,  can  be  seen  in  the  Orient  only. 

Over  five  hundred  Chinese,  clad  only  in  trousers, 
rolled  or  pulled  to  the  hips,  lay  at  full  length  or  sal  on 
their  heels  on  the  deck.      A   large  number  lav  on  small 

209 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IN  NINETY  DATS 

doth  mats  which  they  carried  in  their  luggage.  Some 
were  alone,  some  in  groups.  Many  were  preparing  for 
eating  supper.  There  was  rice,  with  chop  sticks,  and 
strange  disnes  the  like  of  which  I  never  saw.  All  the 
others  were  preparing  or  smoking  opium  from  huge 
mouthed  bamboo  pipes.  Scores  of  little  flames  from 
spirit  lamps  one  of  which  each  smoker  always  has  about, 
were  dotting  the  scene  with  their  bright  colors.  Be- 
side them,  on  their  sides,  lav  the  greasy,  shiny,  dark- 
skinned  Chinaman  watching  with  avidity  the  effects  of 
the  flames  on  the  contents  of  their  pipes.  All  steps  of 
the  process  of  smoking  were  exhibited.  Many  were  just 
beginning  to  cook  the  drug  into  a  soft,  pliable  putty, 
which  they  carefully  packed  into  their  pipes.  Some 
had  settled  down  on  their  backs  —  a  number  of  them 
with  feet  high  in  the  air  on  some  merchandise  —  ready 
for  the  coming  of  the  beautiful  dreams  that  were  sure 
visitors.  Some  were  already  fast  asleep,  in  all  positions 
imaginable,  but  always  those  of  the  very  deep  sleeper. 
The  temperature  must  have  been  fully  95°  Fahr.  and 
the  perspiration  ran  down  my  cheeks  and  dropped  to 
the  floor. 

As  soon  as  supper  was  finished  the  dishes  were 
emptied  into  the  river,  and  the  owners  joined  the  ranks 
of  opium  smokers. 

In  the  stern  were  the  female  quarters,  and  there 
were  about  a  hundred  women  in  cambric  trousers  that 
came  to  the  knees  and  a  loose  waist  of  similar  material, 
unattached  at  the  waist.  There  was  a  bench  in  their 
pen  upon  which  many  could  lie,  or  sit,  but  the  large 
majority,  as  were  all  the  men,  were  obliged  to  lie  on  the 
bare  deck. 

There  were  no  aisles.  I  had  to  step  over  body  after 
body,  and  you  may  be  sure  that  I  did  it  carefully,  for 
the  glances  cast  at  me  were,  as  a  rule,  not  of  a  friendly 
character. 

As  I  was  standing  over  one  group  of  four,  all  pre- 
paring opium  at  a  single  lamp,  I  was  surprised  to  see  a 
middle-aged  Chinaman  look  up,  saying,  "Have  smoke  ?" 

I  was  so  astonished  that  I  did  not  reply  directly, 

210 


CHINA 

but   asked,    "Have   you    been   in  the   United   States?" 

"Yes,  in  Chicago.  We  had  laundry  there  five 
year  go." 

"Did  you  get  rich  ?" 

"  Yes,  me  no  have  work  now.  My  wife  over  there," 
and  he  pointed  at  a  trousered  young  lady  squatting 
behind  his  recumbent  form.  He  lay  on  his  left  side, 
and  watched  keenly  his  opium  as  he  held  the  bowl  of  the 
pipe  with  his  right  hand  to  the  blaze.  I  sat  down  on  the 
deck  in  the  midst  of  the  group,  who  eyed  me  with  great 
curiosity,  especially  my  clothing. 

"Opium?"  I  asked. 

"Yes." 

"What  makes  you  smoke  it?" 

"Makes  dream." 

"  Pleasant  dreams  ?" 

"Yes,  always  pleasant." 

"Every  day?" 

"Yes  —  want  smoke  ?" 

I  laughed  outright.      "No,  thank  you."     He  smiled. 

In  the  few  minutes  we  talked  he  informed  me  that 
the  States  were  a  good  place  for  his  people  to  make  money 
but  no  place  for  them  to  live,  owing  to  the  fact  that  my 
countrymen  "no  like  Chinaman."  I  smiled  and  replied 
that  surely  his  people  "no  like  Melican;"  and  then  he 
smiled.  We  decided  that  we  could  hardly  settle  the 
Chinese  question  right  then  nor  talk  about  it  with  any 
profit. 

Considering  the  odors  which  arose  from  many 
sources,  the  most  annoying  from  unmentionable  causes, 
that  deck  was  the  most  disgusting  place  in  which  J  have 
ever  spent  any  time. 

The  common  Chinese  are  regarded  as  mere  beasts 
-like  so  many  cattle  -by  the  Europeans  who  dwell 
there,  if  my  judgment  is  not  at  fault.  In  entering  and 
leaving  ship  they  are  kicked,  slapped,  pounded,  pulled 
by  the  ears,  cues,  driven  here,  knocked  there  into  the 
pens  intended  for  them. 

From  the  rest  of  the  ship  after  the  first  hour  or  so, 
they  are  debarred  by  iron  grates.     This  is  to  prevent 

21  l 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IN  NINETY  DAYS 


the  ship,  For,  of  course,  they  could  over- 


resistance  it'  they  could   once  gain  an  ad- 

'  I  M 


their  seiZll 

whelm   all 

vantageous  lodgement.     The  Caucasian  officers' cabins 

are  more  or  less  small  arsenals,  and  the  natives  are  never, 

for  a  moment,  even,  given  any  opportunity  by  seizing 

which  they  could  gain  control. 

My  companion  carried  two  huge  revolvers  while  I 
had  a  smaller  one  which  I  later  found  would  not  wrork  at 
all.      1  alone  had  brought  a  camera,  as  Jungenfeld  said 


J, 


Apjyroaching  Canton 


that  the  most  dangerous  thing  a  Caucasian  could  do  in 
Canton  was  to  attempt  to  take  photographs,  owing  to 
the  universal  dislike  of  the  Chinese  to  being  snapped. 
This  same  advice,  as  usual,  increased  my  interest  and 
resulted  in  the  purchase  of  an  exceptional  number  of 
films. 

It  was  hotter  that  night  than  any  I  had  spent  at 
-Manila,  but  sleep  provided  some  rest.  At  5.00  a.m.,  I 
was   dressing.     We   were   nearing  the  greatest  city  of 

212 


CHINA 

Asia,  the  market  to  which  converge  all  the  products  of 
the  huge  celestial  empire. 

The  Canton  River  is  narrow,  say  two  hundred  yards, 
and  winding.     The  surrounding  country  is  flat. 

The  harbor  of  Canton,  merely  a  place  in  the  river, 
was  crowded  with  craft.  There  were  a  score  of  European 
steamers  of  fair  dimensions  in  view;  but  the  large 
majority  of  the  shipping  were  hundreds  and  hundreds  of 
sampans  —  slipper-boats,  they  are  often  called,  so  like 
that  article  do  they  appear,  with  a  high  heel  and  a  low 


In  the  Harbor  of  Canton 


toe.  These  diminutive  things  average  a  length  of 
twenty  feet,  covered  over,  except  for  six  feet  of  the  bow, 
with  two  bamboo  shelters;  and  it  is  in  these  close  ac- 
commodations, it  is  estimated,  over  five  hundred 
thousand  souls  live  constantly,  setting  fool  on  land 
only  at  very  rare  intervals.  The  only  motive  power  for 
these  boats  is  that  supplied  by  a  very  long  stern  oar,  and 
sometimes  a  shorter  one  forward;  and  usually  women 
do  the  rowing.  The  most  of  these  women,  loo,  I  think 
it  conservative  to  say,  had  babies  strapped  astride  of  I  heir 

213 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   TN   NINETY  PAYS 

backs  as  they  worked.  Older  children,  still  too  young 
to  be  Free,  and  too  large  t<>  be  carried  by  the  mother, 
were  tied  about  the  waists,  like  so  many  little  chained 
monkeys,  by  a  strong  rope  which  hung  from  the  roof. 

Mile  alter  mile,  along  the  river  banks,  and  in  the 
canal,  which  divides  the  European  settlement  from  that 
containing  the  natives,  these  river  boats,  choke  up  the 
stream  till  only  a  small  portion  of  it  remains  open --in 
the  centre        for  the  passage  of  heavier  traffic. 

Like  so  many  vultures  they  swoop  down  upon  their 
prey,  the  newly  arrived  steamer,  and  with  strange,  eager 
cries,  struggle,  fight  and  manoeuvre  for  advantageous 
positions  from  which  to  seek  opportunity  to  ferry  pas- 
sengers to  their  destination. 

We  employed  two  women  of  some  thirty  years  to 
row  us  to  a  small  steamer  that  would  carry  us  further  up 
stream  where  my  companion  had  business.  Both 
women  carried  babies  on  their  backs  as  they  struggled 
with  the  oars.  These  women  wore  only  two  garments, 
a  loose  jacket  with  large  sleeves  and  a  pair  of  trousers 
thai  stopped  about  half-way  from  the  knee  to  the  ankle. 
Both  of  these  garments  were  made  of  what  appeared  to 
he  dark  brown  cambric,  so  thin  that  all  the  lines  of  the 
body  and  limbs  could  be  plainly  seen  in  certain  lights. 

I  secured  the  picture  on  the  preceding  page  which 
will  show  fairly  well  a  suggestion  of  what  a  hurly-burly 
appearance  the  river  front  presents. 

Mr.  Ah  Kow,  who  makes  his  headquarters  at  the 
Victoria,  the  European  hotel  in  Canton,  met  the  boat 
soon  after  its  arrival  and  was  at  once  reserved  as  our 
guide  for  the  day.  This  gentleman  speaks  English 
plainly,  is  evidently  a  man  of  considerable  learning,  and 
is  the  best  known  guide  in  the  city.  He  does  all  your 
business  for  you,  arranges  everything  upon  as  cheap  a 
plan  as  possible,  as  far  as  I  could  judge,  and  is  strictly 
honest  and  trustworthy.  He  is  clearly  a  gentleman, 
quiet,  patient,  polite,  anxious  to  make  travelers  com- 
fortable. I  found  a  number  of  high  recommendations 
of  him  from  many  famous  people,  but  none  other  ear- 


214 


CHINA 

ried  quite  as  much  weight  as  did  one  which  I  found 
signed  Frances  M.  Chamberlin. 

Ah  Kow's  own  fee  for  the  day  was  only  $L2.00. 

We  ascended  the  river  in  a  ferry-boat  that  ran  as 
rapidly  as  the  little  boats  on  the  Seine,  to  the  offices  of 
a  prominent  American  business  house.  Here  I  met  a 
number  of  wrecks  of  my  countrymen.  They  were 
sallow,  just  able  to  move  with  great  effort,  all  energy 
gone,  hollow-eyed,  thin,  narrow-chested  and  stoop- 
shouldered        cause,  living  in  Canton.     At  nine  o'clock. 


The  Author's  Outfit 

when   we  turned  back,  Ihe  atmosphere  was  99°  Fahr. 
in  the  shade. 

On  this  little  voyage  we  passed  numerous  boats  of 
the  slipper  shape  but  larger  than  the  family  boats 
propelled  from  behind  by  a  huge  paddle-wheel  which  was 
slowly  revolved  by  a  do/en  treading  men  confined  inside 
of  it,  who  wore  only  trousers,  turned  up  to  the  hips,  and 
from    whom    the    perspiration    ran    in    streams. 

■i  I :. 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IX  NINETY  DAYS 

Returning  to  our  point  of  departure,  we  found  throe 
sedan  chairs,  with  three  coolies  for  each  of  us.  The 
details  of  the  outfit  are  fairly  well  shown  in  a  picture  of 
the  author,  which  was  taken  several  hours  later  at  the 
Five-story  Pagoda,  of  which  mention  will  he  made  later. 

The  sedan  chair  is  very  steady,  hut  requires  one  to 
sit  in  balance,  and  of  course,  quietly,  if  he  be  apprecia- 
tive of  the  hare  shoulders  of  the  coolies.  The  chair  is 
allowed  to  rest  on  its  base  until  the  passenger  is  seated 
within,  when  it  is  carefully  raised  by  the  coolies  with 
several  preparatory  grunts  or  groans  —  the  latter  is 
nearer  to  the  real  sound  —  and  the  conveyance  is  set  on 
the  ground  before  a  passenger  alights.  Over  the  right 
shoulder  of  the  wheel-horse  —  the  thin  old  man  who 
grasps  the  side  of  the  ship  —  is  to  be  seen  the  linen  towel 
carried  by  all  chair-coolies  with  which,  at  frequent  inter- 
vals, they  dry  their  reeking  bodies.  Reeking  is  the 
proper  term,  certainly,  from  the  experience  of  my  men 
on  this  day  when  the  heat  must  have  exceeded  110° 
Fahr.  in  the  sun,  for  it  was  not  less  than  99°  in  the  shade, 
until  after  six  o'clock  that  evening.  This  elderly  man 
also  wore  a  pair  of  sandals,  tied  with  ropes.  The  others 
were  barefooted. 

Then  began  the  most  wonderful  day  of  my  life. 
That  Canton  is  the  show  place  of  all  the  world,  all 
famous  travelers  seem  to  agree.  No  Caucasian  lives 
within  its  gates.  We  foreign  devils  reside  on  an  island 
by  ourselves,  to  which  no  Chinaman  is  admitted  after 
sundown,  under  any  consideration.  The  2,500,000  of 
natives  reside  by  themselves,  and  no  Caucasian  would 
dare  remain  in  their  midst,  even  if  it  were  allowed. 
Into  flat,  stone-paved  streets,  not  over  eight  feet  wide, 
ciow  (led  with  people,  a  great  bee-hive,  the  market-place, 
the  produce  exchange  of  a  nation  more  than  five  times 
as  populous  as  ours,  my  sedan  chair  was  carried  with 
soft  pattering  feet  stepping  quickly  —  but  not  running — 
at  a  pace  that  could  have  made  four  miles  an  hour.  We 
were  in  a  forest  of  vertical  signs.  I  could  obtain  in 
Canton  only  one  picture  that  shows  a  street  —  and  that 
is  really  one  of  the  side  courts  in  which  the  city  abounds. 

216 


Side  Street  in  ('anion 


CHINA 

We  went  through  the  busiest  streets.  To  keep  a 
space  for  our  passage,  our  coolies  indulged  in  a  strange 
guttural  sound,  half-groan,  half-grunt  which  notified  all 
far  ahead  that  we  were  coming.  At  times  the  odors 
were  almost  overwhelming.  I  saw  nothing  to  indicate 
the  presence  of  a  sewer,  and  I  presume  there  is  nothing 
of  that  character  in  any  city  administered  by  the  ( "hinese. 

If  one  were  to  draw  a  picture  of  hell  he  might  very 
well  use  Canton  for  a  model. 

The  buildings  are  usually  three-story  affairs,  whose 
proximity  prevents  anything  but  a  dim  light,  except  for 
a  few  minutes  each  day,  descending  to  the  lower  story. 

The  first  floor,  a  few  inches  above  the  street,  is 
entirely  open  to  the  passers-by,  the  building  having  no 
front  wall  in  that  story.  In  the  half-light  that  pervades 
these  shops,  are  many  shiny,  dark-skinned,  barebacked 
fellows,  whose  clothing  is  not  visible.  Some  lie  about  in 
odd  postures.  Others  work,  seated  on  the  floor  about 
little  spirit  lamps.  Still  others  work  high  toward  the 
ceiling,  on  little  niches.  Artificers  pound  on  diminutive 
anvils.  A  strange  tongue,  that  conveys  no  meaning,  is 
babbling  in  many  keys. 

All  is  indistinct,  confused,  except  the  sputtering 
flames. 

In  the  street  you  are  often  scowled  at  and  plainly 
execrated.  These  people  dislike  to  be  edge* I  about  and 
pinned  against  some  merchant's  counter  strewn  with 
strange  fish  and  odd  meats,  while  they  wail  nnlil  your 
chair  has  passed.  Only  once  or  twice  did  I  receive  re- 
sponsive smiles  to  the  one  which  greeted  any  face  that 
pleased  me.  The  children  regarded  us  about  as  our 
children  look  at  the  elephant  in  the  circus  parade,  gazing 
in  rapt  attention  as  long  as  we  were  in  sight,  lint  of 
the  grown  people,  many  grimaced  at  me  arid  shouted 
derisively  to  their  fellows. 

Before  we  left  the  river  front,  Ah  Kow  told  me  that  I 
must  not,  under  any  consideration,  slop  l<>  photograph 
anybody  or  halt  for  any  purpose  at  all.  To  do  so  would 
be  very  dangerous,  and  nothing  could  save  my  life  l<>r 
more  than  a   minute.     There  were  no  Caucasians,  he 

217 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IN  NINETY  DAYS 

explained,  within  helping  distance;  1  was  simply  in  the 
midst  of  millions  01  these  people  who  disliked  and 
despised  me,  and  would  like  nothing  better  than  to  tear 
me  literally  Limb  from  limb. 

I  had  confidence,  however,  and  took  pictures  as 
fast  as  I  could  manipulate  the  machine.  While  we  were 
plodding  along,  as  a  rule  those  who  saw  the  camera 
pointed  at  them  turned  their  faces,  or  made  up  new  ones 
that  were  not  half  as  attractive  as  the  ones  I  had  desired; 
while  one  kind  gentleman  snatched  at  the  camera.  I 
happened  to  he  looking  at  the  right  place,  however,  when 
he  did  it.  and  I  easily  threw  up  his  arm;  and  we  were 
beyond  him. 

Upon  several  occasions  I  stopped  the  chair  and  took 
a  careful  snap  where  I  was  particularly  anxious  to  pre- 
serve  the  scene. 

1  took  six  dozen  views  in  these  narrow  Canton 
streets.  In  every  instance  I  was  moving,  or  the  object 
was,  and  usually  both  were.  That,  of  course,  called 
for  instantaneous  work  and  so  poor  was  the  light  that 
i  m  one  shows  anything  worthy  of  a  place  here,  so  you 
may  know  they  are  of  no  value  at  all. 

This  is  one  of  the  greatest  disappointments  of  the 
whole  trip.  No  good  kodak  pictures,  so  far  as  I  know-, 
have  ever  come  out  of  Canton's  most  interesting  streets. 
J  do  not  see  how  any  can,  so  long  as  the  present  build- 
ings remain  where  they  now  are.  By  a  long  stay  there, 
which  I  should  regard  with  much  less  favor  than  I  should 
a  sentence  to  be  hung  to-morrow  at  daybreak,  a  few 
pictures  might  be  procured  each  day  when  the  sun  was 
at  the  proper  height  over  the  scene  you  wished  to  fix. 
Some  traveler  may  go  to  that  amount  of  trouble  some 
day.  but  I  believe  nobody  has  yet  done  so. 

In  the  midst  of  these  streets,  Mrs.  Chamberlin,  Mrs. 
Kidston,  her  daughter  and  husband  had  alighted  to  buy 
crockery.  Within  five  minutes  the  whole  vicinity  was 
choked  with  eager  sightseers  and  the  proprietor  and 
employees  of  the  place  had  all  they  could  do  to  keep  the 
mob  out  of  the  shop;  but  no  violence  was  offered. 

In  the  Far  East,  the  motto  is  "Trust  a  Chinaman, 

218 


CII1XA 


distrust  a  Jap."  The  word  of  a  Chinese  merchant  is 
regarded  as  good  as  his  bond.  But  that  of  a  Japanese  is 
regarded  as  bad  as  his  bond,  and  his  bond  is  always  pre- 
sumed to  be  bad.  The  Chinaman  is  credited  with  being 
fair  and  square.  The  Jap  is  credited  with  trickery  and 
deceit. 

As  an  illustration  of  how  the  application  of  such 
rules  is  not  always  to  be  relied  upon,  Mrs.  Chamberlin 
carefully  selected  a  large  number  of  pieces  of  crockery 
in  one  of  these  crazy  Canton  shops,  and  paid  for  them, 


Temple  of  Five  Hundred  Buddhas 

the  merchant  promising  to  pack  them  for  safe  journey  to 
America  and  send  them  to  our  steamer  at  I  long  Kong. 
Nothing  was  broken  upon  the  arrival  of  llie  crate,  but 
Mrs.  Chamberlin  admits  that  the  pieces  she  unpacked  in 
our  home  were  quite  unlike,  both  in  identity  and  value, 
to  those   she   had    actually   purchased. 

Once  free  of  the  crowded  centre  of  the  city,  we 
came  to  a  little  park  upon  one  side  of  which  was  the 
temple  of  the  Five  Hundred  Buddhas.  I  thought  I 
had  discovered  a  good  light  at  last  and  I  tried  to  snap 
several  views,  but    the  gathering  of   a    scowling   crowd 

•21'.  I 


AROUND    I'll/:   WORLD   IN   NINETY  DATS 

and  Ah  Kow's  solemn  warning  thai  I  would  get  every- 
body into  trouble,  prevented  my  success.  Some  vigor- 
ous expletives  from  the  big  German  with  the  eight- 
inch  barrel  revolvers  in  his  hip  pockets  also  contributed 
to  hiy  discomforture.  This  temple  is  one  of  the  things 
always  visited,  hut  entirely  uninteresting,  containing 
about  the  number  designated  of  images  of  the  god 
of  tlu>  Asiatic. 

A  flock  of  begging  children  who  evidently  roosted 
somewhere  about  till  a  white  man  appeared,  here 
attacked  us.  and  we  continued  our  journey  through  an 
hundred  ragamuffins,  all  holding  up  their  hands  for 
money.  Once  outside  the  temple,  as  my  friends  were 
stepping  into  their  conveyances,  I  began  to  give  a  little 
and  instantly  there  was  a  mad  struggle  to  secure  posi- 
tions near  me.  I  liked  the  fun,  despite  Jungenfeld's 
cussing,  and  Ah  Kow's  remonstrances  that  it  was 
dangerous.  He  insisted  that  we  must  hurry  before  a 
crowd  gathered;  and  we  started  away.  That  is,  my 
companions  did. 

But  when  my  coolies  tried  to  raise  me,  they  could 
not,  for  a  score  of  those  little  beggars  had  restraining 
hands  on  every  presentable  feature  of  my  chair.  The 
coolies  shouted  and,  I  judge,  swore  a  good  deal,  struck 
at  the  boys,  who  were  probably  fifteen  years  of  age  on 
the  average  -and  there  was  a  din,  that  started  toward 
me  the  loungers  from  the  houses  on  every  side  of  the 
square.  The  passers-by  halted.  Twenty  hands  were 
thrust  into  my  face,  begging  for  money.  My  coat 
was  tugged  by  a  number,  my  camera  seized.  My 
coolies  were  in  a  panic.  They  struggled  to  lift  my 
chair;  but  to  no  purpose.  My  two  friends  were  out 
of  sight.  I  was  alone.  It  flashed  over  me  as  I  saw 
men  hurrying  toward  me  from  every  side  that  in  two 
minutes  more  I  should  be  in  the  midst  of  an  hundred 
Chinamen  in  their  own  city,  with  nothing  to  guard 
me  from  their  hatred  but  my  own  devices  and  six 
shots  in  my  revolver.  The  men  who  had  run  up  did 
not  appear  to  be  trying  to  relieve  my  predicament, 
as    I    had    hoped     they    would.     I    became    convinced 

220 


CHINA 

that  they  were  abetting  those  who  were  keeping  me. 

I  had  no  time  to  spare.  From  a  side-pocket  in 
my  coat  in  which  I  had  kept  my  hand  on  my  money 
as  soon  as  the  mob  began  to  reach  for  it,  I  drew  a  whole 
handful  of  change  of  little  value — probably  not  over 
a  couple  of  dollars  in  all  -  and  threw  the  shining 
silver  high  into  the  air  above  the  heads  of  those  in  the 
very  centre  of  the  mob  on  my  right,  kicked  yes, 
I'm  ashamed  of  it  yet,  but  I  did  it  — kicked  the  poor 
skinny  old  coolie  in  front  of  me,  right  in  the  middle  of 
his  bare  back,  and  yelled  at  him  as  if  he  were  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  away.  The  crowd  fairly  dove  for  that  silver. 
Every  mother's  son  of  them,  I  believe,  without  ex- 
ception, lowered  his  head,  pointed  it  toward  the  place 
where  that  silver  would  fall  and  sprang  blindly  toward 
that  spot. 

Ha!  I  was  up!  Before  the  silver  had  fairly 
touched  the  ground,  and  before  a  Chinaman  was  on 
his  feet,  my  coolies  had  me  ten  feet  away.  This  time 
we  were  running.  I  looked  back  and  there  were 
twenty  fights  if  there  was  one,  to  wrest  the  coins  from 
those  who  had  secured  them.  Half  the  crowd  was 
still  on  the  ground. 

That  evening  Jungenfeld,  who  was  grumpy  all 
the  latter  part  of  the  day,  said  to  me  as  we  neared 
Hong  Kong,  "  Chamberlin,  I  was  pretty  mad  at  you 
to-day  and  you  might  as  well  know  it.  That  was  a 
perfect  damn  fool  of  a  thing  you  did  there  at  the  Five 
Hundred  Temple.  Every  one  of  us  might  have  lost 
his  life  there  in  less  than  five  minutes.  Of  course, 
we'd  have  got  some  of  them  with  our  guns,  but  we 
never'd  got  away  in  God's  world.  I'm  willing  to 
stand  by  a  fellow,  of  course,  and  I  would  have  done 
it  there;  but  there's  no  use  in  kicking  up  a  mess  jusl 
for  the    sake  of  it." 

I'm  no  sort  of  a  fellow  to  thresh  over  old  straw. 
I  had  the  time  of  my  life  and  I  wouldn't  quarrel  so 
I  bought  him  a  fresh  bottle  and  after  a  few  minutes 
he  was  as  happy  as  if  he  had  never  been  angry  ;il  all. 
That's    always   the   way   with    a    big    German.     Give 

221 


Before  the  Temple 


Mr.  Ah  Kow 
222 


CHINA 

him  a  schooner  of  beer  and  he's  all  right;    the  score  is 
erased  and  he's  only  in  the  present. 

On  several  occasions  we  halted  at  different  other 
religions  affairs  but  they  were  utterly  uninteresting. 

One  picture  shows  our  chairs  and  coolies  resting 
in  front  of  the  gate  in  one  of  them. 

The  place  called  "The  Temple  of  the  Dead," 
however,  was  beautiful  and  interesting.  Before  the 
definite  interment  of  the  departed,  he  is  encased  in  a 
casket  similar  to  those  we  employ  for  such  purposes, 
and  taken  to  this  place.  A  room  is  assigned  to  his 
relatives,  in  the  rear  of  which  is  an  alcove  containing: 
the  body.  In  the  centre  of  the  first  room  is  a  table  on 
which  food  and  delicacies  are  placed  for  the  delecta- 
tion of  his  friends  and  relatives  who  chance  to  drop  in 
for  a  pleasant  hour.  All  of  these  rooms  open  into  a 
walk  that  is  lined  with  flowers;  and  the  general  effect 
is  that  of  a  huge  garden  that  is  very  beautifully  and 
artistically  arranged,  an  effect  which  even  obliterates 
the  realization  of  the  abomination  of  the  custom. 

As  we  turned  to  leave,  and  you  may  imagine  we 
did  not  follow  the  habit  of  our  yellow  Caucasians 
and  stay  for  tea  or  cakes,  I  accidentally  thought  of 
taking  Ah  Kow  as  he  appears  in  an  archway  near 
the  entrance.  On  glancing  through  one  of  John  L. 
Stoddard's  books  of  travel  in  China,  I  am  flattered  to 
see  that  he  had  a  similar  idea  —  for  he  took  the  same 
guide  in  the  same  place. 

After  about  an  hour's  ride  from  these  scenes, 
we  found  ourselves  at  the  very  outskirts  of  the  city 
and  slowly  we  were  taken  up  many  stone  steps  until 
we  could  overlook  the  great  town  beneath.  Here  I 
made  a  photograph  of  it.  It  is  ten  miles  to  the  Nine- 
story  Pagoda  which  appears  against  the  sky  Par 
beyond  the  city,  in  the  picture  on  the  next  page. 

The  Five-story  Pagoda  was  where  we  had  prom- 
ised ourselves  the  Lunch  which  Ah  Kow  had  ordered 
to  be  sent  by  a  coolie  from  our  steamer. 

In  the  numerous  block-houses  <>n  th<v  wall, 
like  the  one  in  the  foreground  of  the  picture,  strange, 

223 


AROUND   THE   \\<>/;/J>   IX  NINETY  DATS 


The  Roof  of  Canton 


The  Five-story  Pagoda 

224 


CHINA 

old,    beautifully  green    sheathed,  bronze    cannon    sit, 
silent,  grim  messengers  of  old  days. 

There  was  nothing  in  the  old  building  except  the 
floor  and  stairways,  and  but  for  the  view,  there's  no 
reason  why  any  white  man  should  ever  visit  it.  The 
yard,  however,  is  interesting,  as  the  pictures  exhibit, 
aside  from  the  portraits.  I  had  to  hire  my  coolies, 
by  giving  them  ten  cents  each,  to  stand  without  hitch- 


Jungenfeld  at  the  Pag  odd 

ing  to  have  their  pictures  taken  with  me,  for  the  momenl 
they  saw  Jungenfeld  point  the  gun  toward  them  they 
dropped  and  turned  away  their  faces,  which,  in  truth, 
would  have  been  a  real  improvement. 

Once  more  we  disappeared  in  the  bedlam  of  the 
market-places.  All  of  the  wares  we  saw  were  strange. 
I  doubt  if  I  could  have  told  a  use  to  which  a  third  of 
them  might  be  devoted. 

225 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IN  NINETY  DAYS 

My  camera  refusing  to  work  well,  Ah  Kow  took 
us  to  the  shop  of  ;i  native  photographer  in  a  quiet 
alley.     1  was  shown  up  three  flights  of  stairs  to  a  hole 

under  the  root"  which  was  used  as  a  dark  room.  This 
room  was  not  over  six  feet  square  or  high,  and  had  no 
window  or  ventilation  of  any  kind  and  recollect 
the  heat  was  100°  in  the  shade.  But  in  there  I  went  and 
heard  the  door  shut  after  me. 

I  remained  fullv  half  an  hour  and  I  have  no  desire 


The  Canton   Canal 


to  repeat  the  experience.  Darkness  leads  to  such 
strange  thoughts  that  I  had  many  a  nightmare  while 
thus  incarcerated.  You  may  be  sure  that  had  I  known 
as  much  of  the  films  which  I  was  trying  to  preserve 
as  I  do  now,  my  stay  in  that  box  wTould  have  been  of 
far  less  duration. 

The  dress  of  a  middle  or  best  class  Chinaman 
seems  to  me  to  be  unquestionably  the  coolest  and 
most  comfortable  and  at  the  same  time  sufficient  for 

226 


CHINA 

Caucasian  ideas  of  propriety,  that  I  have  ever  seen  or 
imagined. 

It  consists  solely  of  sandals,  silk  hose,  no  under- 
clothing, very  loose,  wide,  linen  or  silk  trousers  and 
jacket,  a  silk  skull-cap,  a  paper  parasol,  and  a  fan. 

For  the  cap  and  parasol  I  should  substitute  the 
cork  helmet.  Otherwise  I  do  not  see  how  the  costume 
can  be  improved.  It  is  modest,  free,  open  to  the  air, 
and  so  light  that  one  could  scarcely  be  cooler  if  it  were 
not  worn  at  all. 


Women  carryiiHj  Wood 

I  called  upon  our  Consul-General,  McWade,  for  an 
unusual  favor  and  he  aided  me  in  every  way  lie  could. 

In  the  European  Concession,  there  was  another 
world.  There  were  parks,  and  broad  avenues  lined 
with  row  on  row  of  huge  trees.  There  were  cosily 
consulates,  asphalt  walks,  given  lawns,  polo  fields, 
luxurious  clubs,  splendid  flower  gardens.  Apparently 
all   had  been  done  that  human   mind   could   devise   to 

227 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IX  WINE TT  DAYS 

mitigate  tin*  awful  climate.  Bui  despite  all  these 
efforts,  the  facl  of  the  unhealthiness  of  the  place  for 
a  white  man  forced  itself  upon  the  observer.  I  saw 
110  white  person  who  looked  as  if  he  thought  life  were 
worth  the  drawing  of  even  one  more  breath. 

Arrived  at  the  steamer,  we  took  our  stations  aft, 
under  an  awning,  secured  some  ice-cool  beverages 
and,  huoved  up  l>v  the  certainty  of  immediately  leaving 
the  place,  we  were  fairly  comfortable.  In  came  a 
rather  portly  looking  Chinaman,  dressed  all  in  silk. 
With  much  grace  and  dignity  he  bowed  to  us,  and, 
accompanied  by  a  young  man,  took  a  chair  near  by. 
He  soon  spoke  cordially  in  the  best  of  English,  and  I 
learned  that  he  had  been  in  the  diplomatic  service  at 
one  of  the  largest  English  ports  for  a  long  term  of 
years,  and  that  the  young  gentleman  with  him  was 
his  son  who  could  speak  French  but  not  English. 
With  our  common  knowledge  of  the  former  we  carried 
on  a  lively  conversation  that  lasted  until  we  were 
in  sight  of  Hong  Kong  nearly  five  hours  later. 
We  ate  dinner  together,  and  I  extracted  from  the  father 
-  and  he  was  not  at  all  taciturn  —  more  about  China 
and  her  nearly  half  a  billion  people  than  I  had  ever 
before  learned.  He  wras  a  man  of  the  highest  educa- 
tion, entirely  familiar  with  the  literature  and  history 
of  the  white  people. 

He  was  well  aware  that  Japan's  successful  foreign 
policy  and  indeed  her  great  interior  policies  by  which 
have  been  accomplished  the  great  steps  forward  that 
that  empire  has  taken,  were  due  entirely  to  her  adop- 
tion of  the  American  ideas,  which  had  been  taught 
her  emperor  mainly  by  a  single  American,  —  who  is 
to-day,  and  for  many  years  has  been,  Japan's  foreign 
policy         Mr.    Dennison. 

He  said  China  must  find  such  a  man,  and  it  ex- 
pected to  secure  him  from  America.  He  admitted 
that  China's  army  was  now  being  rejuvenated  and 
revolutionized  by  American  officers,  and  that  Japan 
was   really  the  moving  cause  of  all  this. 

He  knew   that    Japan    was  working   with    China    on 

228 


CHINA 

these  things,  was  behind  her,  and  would  join  hands 
with  her  in  the  policy  of  "Asia  for  the  Asiatics." 
Japan's  success  with  Russia  had  toppled  over  the 
already  tottering  doctrine  that  no  European  customs 
should  be  adopted.  The  actual  witnessing  of  Japanese 
victory  over  the  hated  Europeans  could  not  be  gain- 
said, and  the  progressive  party  was  now  in  the  ascend- 
ancy and  was  hailed  as  the  forerunner  of  the  hour  of 
deliverance  from  the  humiliation  to  which  China 
had  long  been  and  was  now  subjected  by  small  white 
peoples.  The  Russian-Japan  conflict  had  demon- 
strated that  the  Asiatic,  trained  and  armed  after  the 
European  customs,  was,  man  for  man,  the  equal  of 
the  European,  and  in  his  own  country,  more  than  that. 

The  Chinaman  now  believed  that  he  could  do  as 
well  as  the  Jap  and  was  setting  out  to  prove  it. 

Veiled  as  the  thought  was,  I  could  not  fail  to 
see  that  what  the  Chinaman  also  thought  was  that 
when  he  should  become  the  equal  of  the  white  devils. 
the  latter  would  occupy  but  little  of  Chinese  territory. 
And  I'm  blamed  if  I  don't  hope  they  will  succeed.  I 
think  such  a  result  is  to  be  prayed  for  with  all  the 
fervor  of  which  we  are  capable. 

From  what  I  saw  of  it,  the  Far  East  is  the  best 
wrecker  of  a  white  man's  mental,  moral  and  physical 
strength  I  have  ever  met. 

At  eleven  o'clock  we  came  within  the  most  beauti- 
ful sight  of  all  our  journey,  the  harbor  of  Hong  Kong 
at  night.  It  was  as  if  all  the  fairies  in  the  world  had 
come  there  to  hang  their  twinkling  lights  in  the  nighl 
all  over  the  great  bay,  in  the  strange  city  beside  it, 
and  far  up  on  the  mountain  sides  even  to  the  skies, 
in  whose  vast  depths  shone  millions  of  God's  bright 
spheres,  while  the  broad  silver,  ever-widening  sheet  of 
the  wonderful  full  moon  of  the  Orient  spread  oul  over 
the  dancing  waxes. 

As  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  was  a  myriad  of 
lights,  close  to  the  water,  the  toy  lanterns  of  the 
slipper  boats,  the  families  of  which  were  long  since 
asleep    in    their    little  world;  above   them,  beside  them, 

229 


AROUXD    THE   WORLD   IS   NINETY  DAYS 

behind  them,  shone  the  gleams  from  a  thousand  port- 
holes of  an  hundred  floating  giants,  lazily  resting  till 
the  day  should  conic.  An  hundred  swift  launches, 
blazes  of  light.  Hashed  here  and  there,  in  and  out. 
Powerful  searchlights  streamed  like  huge  shafts  of 
white  metal  across  the  night,  and  threw  into  view  the 
white  palaces  of  the  rich,  nestled  high  up  on  the  green 
slopes:  then  slowly  moved  from  side  to  side  till  they 
had  crossed  all  the  heights  and  then  returned  to  search 
out  some  remote  place  which  had  till  then  escaped 
them  ;  while  from  the  water  front,  thousands  of  windows 
glowed  at  our  coming. 

We  were  met  by  scores  of  jinrickashaw  men, 
each  dangling  his  paper  lantern. 

As  1  was  whirled  along  by  my  huge,  round-limbed 
fellow,  in  the  midst  of  these  emblems  of  carnival  — 
to  us  —  I  was  full  of  the  events  of  this  strange  day, 
the  beauty  that  I  had  just  seen,  the  elation  of  coming 
home  -  and  the  moon  had  set  behind  the  hills  before 
my  eyes  grew  heavy,  that  last  night  in  China. 


230 


CHAPTER  XIV 


HOMEWARD    BOUND 

Early  on  Wednesday,  the  seventeenth  of  August, 
we  paid  our  modest  bill  at  the  Hongkong  —  $3.00  per 
diem  in  gold,  room  and  board  for  each  —  made  a 
few  more  purchases,  fought  with  the  porters  to  get 
them  to  take  all  of  our  luggage,  two  trunks,  a  box, 
and  the  huge  sailor  bag,  and  by  nine-thirty  were  across 
the  harbor  clambering  aboard  the  "Preussen,'"  which 
was  to  be  our  home  for  an  entire  month.  Our  ap- 
pearance was  greeted  with  the  tooting  of  a  very  good 
shore  band,  a  species  of  advertising  practised  by  the 
German  liners.  The  "Preussen"  we  found  a  huge 
affair,  with  promenade  deck  fully  twenty  feet  wide 
and  five  hundred  long.  On  the  starboard  side,  amid- 
ship,  we  had  the  best  cabin  she  afforded,  No.  1;  one 
of  the  two  on  the  top  deck.  These  two  staterooms 
opened  into  a  large  ladies'  cabin,  luxuriously  furnished, 
which  we  used  as  our  parlor.  Our  accommodations 
almost  doubled  in  size  those  which  we  had  on  the 
"Sherman"  -and  there  was  an  electric  fan,  too.  A 
German  man  was  our  chambermaid.  The  door  of 
oui-  cabin  was  never  closed,  as  prying  eyes  were  de- 
barred by  a  yellow  silk  sliding  curtain  that  reached  to 
the  floor.  The  window  was  fully  two  feet  square, 
never  closed,  provided  with  another  silk  curtain  and 
a  lattice  blind. 

In  the  following  picture  you  may  find  our  room 
under  the  forward  lifeboat  just  in  front  of  the  first 
smokestack,  above  the  top  line  of  port-holes,  and  under 
the  arrow  head. 

The  first  thing  I  noted  after  clambering  up  the 
gangway  was  that  our  porters  were  carrying  us  .ill 
into  second  class  and  clamoring  for  us  l<>  Follow.  On 
demanding  an  explanation  I   was  confronted   with  a  set 

2:;  l 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IN   NINETY  DAYS 

o\'  second  class  labels  with  which  a  wag  whom  I'll 
pound  if  we  ever  meet  and  I  know  him  well  had 
plastered  every  blessed  one  of  our  four  large  pieces 
of  baggage! 

Steamer  chairs  of  the  kind  familiar  to  the  Atlantic 
boats,  were  for  rent  at  $2.00  for  the  voyage.  Just  as 
we  were  about  to  leave,  huge  chairs,  solid,  of  light 
rattan,  fully  seven  feet  long,  hack  fitted  at  about  forty- 
five  degrees,  furnished  with  receptacles  for  books, 
etc..  under  each  arm  piece,  were  offered  for  sale  to  us 
for  $2.00  each.  Could  such  a  chair  be  obtained  in 
America,   and    I    have  seen  none,   it  would   surely  cost 


The  Preussen 

$20.  We,  however,  did  not  then  know  enough  to  buy 
and  so  missed  availing  ourselves  of  an  exceptional 
opportunity,  contenting  ourselves  with  the  folding, 
cane-seated  regular  steamer  chairs. 

As  we  picked  our  way  carefully  in  and  out  among 
the  many  vessels  at  anchor  and  coming  and  going, 
there  were  all  flags  but  the  one  for  which  I  searched. 

Such  experiences  make  an  American  wish  we  had 
a  ship  marine.  Other  nations  have  it,  and,  appar- 
ently, are  the  gainers  thereby.  Certainly  the  Euro- 
pean people  have  the  mastery  of  the  markets  of  the 
Orient. 

232 


HOMEWARD  Jin  (WD 

From  the  heat  of  Hong  Kong,  and  of  100°  at  Can- 
ton, to  a  strong  head  breeze  and  a  temperature  of 
only  8-2°,  was  a  welcome  change;  for  with  the  breeze 
we  had,  the  real  temperature  was  not  over  70°;  and 
when  we  were  well  freed  of  the  sheltering  highlands, 
the  air  became  almost  as  cold  as  it  was  when  we  were 
leaving  San  Francisco,  and  I  donned  more  under- 
clothing, my  rain  coat  and  a  vest.  It  was  as  if  we  were 
at  home  once  more. 

I  discovered  that  up  to  this  point  I  had  lost  just 
ten  pounds  as  a  result  of  the  journey;  and  it  was  Long 
after  Christmas  before  I  found  it. 

The  cabin  passengers  were  only  fifteen  in  number. 
There  was  a  frail  little  lady,  invalided  home  from  her 
home  in  Swatow,  China,  to  England,  for  a  dangerous 
operation,  which  meant  an  absence  from  husband  and 
baby  for  at  least  nine  months. 

There  was  a  rotund,  red-faced,  hearty  German 
with  his  wife  and  little  girl  on  their  way  to  their  native 
country  for  the  final  time,  as  he  was  retiring  from 
twenty  years  of  life  as  a  merchant  at  Shanghai. 

There  was  a  German  beer  merchant  from  the 
same  city,  invalided  home,  threatened  with  paralysis 
of  the  legs  and  a  resulting  prostration  of  the  mind, 
which  threatened  a  resulting  prostration  to  those  who 
would  listen  to  his  hopeless  talk.  Had  he  not  improved 
he  would  have  driven  everybody  to  the  verge  of  jump- 
ing overboard  in  six  days. 

Then  there  was  a  low-browed  Portuguese  army 
officer,  who  donned  his  dress  uniform  every  night:  ana 
a  civilian  of  the  same  race,  both  going  home  after 
several  years  in  Macao,  the  strange  little  gambling- 
house-island  which  Portugal  has  retained  for  several 
hundred  years,  near  I  long  Kong,  as  one  of  her  colonics. 
As  they  spoke  French  we  could  converse  tolerably. 

There  was  a  red-faced,  bristling,  red-mustached 
Russian  tea-taster,  whose  taste  for  tea  and  everything 
else  had  departed  souk-  days  before,  as  il  did,  he  told 
me,  every  several  years  which  necessitated  ;i  hip 
to  his  home. 


AROUND    THE    WORLD   IN  NINETY  PAYS 

There  was  ;i  little  Russian  Jew,  a  scholarly  num. 
There  was  an  American  girl,  a  blonde,  the  only  stylish 
woman  1  saw  in  the  East. 

There  was  a  young  American  lawyer  from  Atlanta, 
Georgia;  a  young  German  machinery  contractor  who 
had  been  around  the  world  seventeen  times;  there 
was  Sternfeld,  the  pump  drummer  from  West  Syracuse, 
on  his  way  to  the  laud  of  the  Boers;  there  was  a  pig- 
tailed  Chinese  merchant,  in  a  silk  suit  of  European 
cut,  and  a  Manila  straw  hat  of  American  style,  ac- 
companied by  a  round  little  wife,  who  was  really  pretty, 
and  their  baby  hoy;  an  intellectual  German  civil 
engineer,  who  had  the  dyspepsia  and  a  young  wife, 
both  of  which,  when  the  unmarried  surgeon,  the  best 
looking  boy  on  the  boat,  was  about  troubled  him  a 
good  deal.  Add  "the  Chamberlins,"  as  we  were 
known,  and  the  list  is  complete.  So  that  we  really 
traveled  as  if  on  a  private  yacht,  so  much  room  and 
attention  did  we  receive. 

The  Captain,  removed  from  whom  at  table  we 
sat  some  three  places,  was  a  little  red-faced,  fussy, 
pompous,  fat  German,  whose  weight  must  have  been 
two  hundred  and  twenty-five  enveloping  an  elevation 
of  only  five  feet-three.  From  a  being  gracious  at  the 
start,  he  developed  into  a  perfect  Boer  in  manners 
and  became  utterly  uncompanionable,  and  always 
exceedingly  sensitive  about  his  personal  appearance. 

There  were  three  officers,  splendid  fellows,  the 
first  the  favorite  of  their  Emperor,  six  feet  six,  straight 
as  an  Indian,  soldierly.  The  captain  would  never  per- 
mit himself  to  be  seen  anywhere  in  this  officer's  vicinity, 
if  such  a  catastrophe  could  be  prevented.  The  cap- 
tain never  liked  me  after  he  heard  me  say  that  I  was 
going  to  get  him  and  his  first  officer  on  one  of  my  films. 

But  the  king  of  them  all  was  Heinrich  Mennekin, 
the  second  officer,  who  will  always  be  treasured  in 
our  memories.  He  had  been  an  officer  on  the  "Kaiser 
Wilhelm  II.,"  liked  Americans,  and  loved  to  make 
others  happy  and  contented.     On  these  long  voyages 

2  34 


HOMEWARD  BOUND 

in  the  East  the  officers  are  instructed  to  help  entertain 
the  passengers,  a  service  which  does  not  appear  irk- 
some. I  believe  these  young  German  officers  would 
flirt  with  an  angel  (if  she  were  encased  in  sufficient 
drapery  to  render  it  excusable.) 

The  picturesque  feature,  was  "the  little  German 
band,"  which  discoursed  at  least  four  times  daily 
for  our  betterment.  It  comprehended  the  musical 
talent  among-  the  chambermaids,  bar-keepers,  the 
printer  and  the  cooks.  In  all  they  mustered  ten 
pieces,  —  a  brass  band  led  by  a  chambermaid,  whose 
red  nose  had  been  much  elongated  and  otherwise 
puffed  up  and  out  by  the  usual  German  method  - 
a  large  glass  of  which  always  stood  beside  his  right 
leg  when  he  had  to  leave  it  and  blow  his  horn.  They 
did  very  well,  added  much  to  the  pleasure  of  the  trip, 
and  were  wonderfully  eager  and  willing  to  please  in 
any  capacity  in  which  they  served,  and  this  is  to  he 
said  of  every  employee  aboard.  They  were  surely 
the  most  obliging  set  of  servants  1  ever  met. 

We  were  now  —  to  all  appearances  in  Ger- 
many. The  talk  was  mostly  German.  There  was 
beer.  The  menu  was  German  and  English.  The 
money  was  German.  The  crew,  except  the  stokers, 
wTho  were  strong  China  men,  were  Germans.  The 
hours  and  all  the  customs  were  German. 

Each  meal  was  announced  twice,  half  an  hour 
between  each  call,  by  bugle. 

Here  again,  were  the  old  awnings  I  hated  so 
cordially;  but,  as  the  war  was  over,  we  could  secure 
some  dispensations  which  permitted  less  annoyance 
than  on  our  first  trip. 

As  we  left  the  sight  of  the  China  coast,  and  steered 
to  the  southward,  for  Singapore,  our  firsl  calling  place, 
1,387  miles  toward  the  equator,  1  made  this  entry  in 
my  diary,  "Am  resting  hard  now,"  and  I  certainly 
did  make  myself  lazy  for  two  days. 

As  we  grew  acquainted,  the  fears  lightened  thai 
we  had  had  that  Mrs.  (  luinibcrlin  would  have  ;i  hard 
battle  to  escape  peril  in  this  long   voyage.     As  often, 

235 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IN  NINETY  DATS 

the  experience  was  proving  Par  less  irksome  and 
dangerous  than  the  fears  of  it.  As  we  howled  along 
at  tne  rate  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles 
dailv.  ploughing  steadily  toward  the  equator,  the 
air  never  above  88°  and,  because  of  the  breeze,  usually 
so  eool  that  I  wore  my  rain  coat,  our  hearts  grew  less 
anxious.  To  our  surprise'  we  were  informed  that 
similar  experiences  were  the  rule  at  this  time  of  the  year 
August  and  that  regularly  we  might  anticipate 
the  continuance  of  these  mercies  until  we  arrived  at 
the  Red  Sea,  for  the  Southwest  Monsoon  was  now 
1  (lowing,  and  barring  a  phenomenon,  would  steadily 
continue  until  long  after  we  had  passed  beyond  its 
part  of  the  sea. 

In  four  and  a  half  days,  or  to  be  exact,  four  days 
and  fifteen  hours,  at  12.30  a.m.  in  the  night  of  Mon- 
day  and  Tuesday,  August  21  and  22,  we  were  at  the 
most  southern  point  in  all  our  journey,  Singapore,  at 
the  extreme  end  of  the  Malay  Peninsula,  about  fifty 
miles  north  of  the  equator. 

The  town  looked  sleepy  for  it  is  on  low  ground 
a  mile  from  where  we  lay,  and  we  retired,  only  to 
emerge  again  at  two-thirty,  the  entire  family,  to  look 
at  the  moon.  The  proximity  of  the  shore  heightened 
the  temperature  much,  and  we  had  little  use  for  our 
sleeping  bags,  and  much  for  our  electric  fan.  These 
sleeping  bags  were  made  by  sewing  together  three 
edges  of  a  sheet,  into  which  receptacle  you  are  supposed 
to  crawl  when  you  seek  sleep.  The  object  sought 
if  I  am  correctly  informed,  is  increased  precaution 
against  the  gathering  cold  of  the  tropics  which  sets  in 
late  in  the  night.  Unconsciously,  often  a  sleeper 
throws  off  the  ordinary  sheet  and  then  contracts  a 
cold  when  the  mercury  falls,  unless  he  happens  to 
awake  in  season  to  protect  himself.  But  after  crawling 
into  the  bag,  the  body  confining  the  under  wall  of  it, 
the  sleeper  is  almost  sure  to  be  better  protected  through 
the  night,  no  matter  how  uneasy  or  restless  he  may 
be;    furthermore,  the  additional  physical  effort  which 

236 


HOMEWARD  BOUND 


is  necessary  to  free  the  body  entirely  from  the  bag 
acts  as  a  deterrent  and  therefore  often  as  a  protector. 


2)17 


CHAPTER    XV 


A   MORNING  IN  SINGAPORE 

In  the  early  morning  we  moved  up  to  the  landing 
wharf. 

I  had  some  misgivings  about  taking  the  camera 
ashore,  because,  when  we  went  down  the  two  flights 
that  led  to  the  dining-room  from  our  deck  there  was  a 
sign  hung  in  our  faces  which  declared  it  to  be  against 


Waiting  for  us 

the  law  to  take  pictures  in  Singapore.  I,  secured 
more  there,  however,  than  at  any  other  port  at  which 
we  stopped.  This  prohibition  is  based  on  the  fact 
that  the  city  heights  are  heavily  fortified,  and  England 
does  not  care  to  publish  to  the  world  particulars  of 
defenses.       A   swarm   of  pedlars   invaded  us,   money 

238 


Scenes  on  the  Wharf 


Awaiting  our  Landing 


.1   MORNING  IN  SINGAPORE 

changers,  sellers  of  souvenir  postal  cards,  of  laces, 
of  collections  of  postage  stamps,  of  fruit,  etc.,  and  it 
was  nine-thirty  before  we  were  free  to  go  ashore. 

The  harbor  of  Singapore,  the  exchange  point  of 
the  East  and  West  with  the  East  African  coast.  Borneo, 
Java  and  Australia,  is  a  wide  one:  A  score  of  steamers 
were  on  all  sides,  but  still  no  sign  of  our  Hag. 

We  were  in  the  land  of  the  turban  and  the  man- 
skirt;    in  a  country  in   which   the   men   wear  far   more 


A  Coal  Bearer 

than  the  women;    and  still  il  is  ;in   English  Colony 

Jinrickashaws    were    tin-    prevailing    conveyances, 

drawn   by   big,   happy   Bellows,   almosl    all,  apparently, 

( Chinese  coolies. 

The    Malay    is    taller    than    the    Chinaman,    and 

possesses    features    thai    are    much    like    those    of    the 

Caucasian.     But  Singapore  is  surely  half-Chinese. 

Mrs.  Chamberlin  and  a   lady  friend   were  out   of 

239 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IS   NINETY  DAYS 

sight    in    their    jinrickashaws    before    I    was    ready    to 

start  at  all,  and  I  did  not  sec  them  again  until  their 
return.  We  had  until  one  o'clock;  and  so  notice 
was  posted  on  hoard.  three  hours  and  a  halt'  in 
the  Malay  Peninsula. 

1  could  only  get  into  my  jinrickashaw,  point  to 
the  town  and  he  whirled  away,  because  my  stocky 
Chinese  boy  knew  not  a  word  of  English.  So  1  stopped 
the   first    policeman,   an    Englishman,   and   got    him   to 


My  Horse 

explain  that  I  desired  to  go  to  the  steamship  office 
and  then  to  the  office  of  the  Chief  of  Police. 

At  the  latter,  I  could  obtain  no  promise,  that  I 
dared  to  act  upon,  that  I  would  not  be  arrested  if  I 
took  pictures,  so  I  asked  that  my  coolies  be  told  to 
take  me  to  the  palace  of  the  Governor.  There  I  met 
a  cordial  reception  from  a  deputy  and  in  a  little  time 
emerged  with  the  necessary  permission. 

Then    I    began    my    picture    taking.     Singapore, 

240 


(S  143) 
PERMIT  UNDER  ORDINANCE  XIX  OF  1887. 

Ill/I:.  v%tdl:  &  A^Z  r  v\  irt\lcu^^ 

of 4ir^uJxJi <&LXteJ      &-£-~3rrnfiA.<-CCU      is  hereby  permitted 

to  take  photographs  or  sketches  of  scenes  in  Singapore  within  3,000  yards 
of  the  fortifications,  provided  that  none  of  the  fortifications  of  Singapore 
are  shewn  in  such  photographs  or  sketches.     This  permission  holds  good 

(frXO    CUt^y    &-rxI*i  . 

for  q  poriod  of  one  miantn  from  thw  dato  thereof. 

SVfJust/tV     &f    f~h£.         Coventor. 

Singapore,    A%>-        M^/.  LdJ~..    ,  ignQ, 


The  Jinrickashaw  Si<m</ 


The  Singapore  Ox 


.1   MOMNING   TN  SINGAPORE 

like  Hong  Kong,  is  a  European  city  in  the  Orient, 
only  it  does  not  pave  its  streets,  nor  construct  very 
costly  buildings.  Many  of  its  shops  might  as  well 
be  in  Europe.  There  are  several  splendid  hotels, 
run  according  to  English  standards,  and  toward  them, 
or  toward  a  restaurant  beside  a  park,  where  there  were 
tables  under  awnings,  continental  drinks  and  the  latest 
European  newspapers,  all  passengers,  except  the  rest 
of  my  family  appeared  to  have  directed  their  coolies. 


An  Absorbing   Transaction 


I  held  up  my  hand  to  stop  the  driver  of  sonic 
oxen  and  moved  him,  by  ;i  sign,  to  where  I  wanted  him. 

A  side-view  of  these  animals  shows  clearly  their 
strange  characteristics.  They  were  gentle  and  I  could 
see  no  use  whateverfor  the  t Inn  fold  <>l*  skin  thai  hung 
so  low  from   the  neck. 

At  this  point  an  English  policeman,  in  dark  brown 
khaki    and    helmet    of    the    same    shade,    armed    with    a 

241 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IX   NINETY  DAYS 

billy,  accosted  me:  "Now  von  know  better  than  to  be 
snapping  this  thing  around  'ere.  You  know  von 
'aven'1  any  right  to  do  thai ;  so 

But  the  sighl  of  my  permit  made  all  right.  Thai 
occurred  several  times  before  one  o'clock. 

In  front  of  the  main  post-office  I  took  a  scene 
that  exhibits  a  fondness  for  green  or  bine  velvet  skull 
caps  and  for  huge  plaids. 


A  Xoondaij  Meal 


Seeing  a  native  settlement  oft'  the  main  street,  I 
stepped  along  the  river  bank.  These  films  show  what 
was  universally  true  of  this  city,  i.e.,  that  here  all  except 
the  Chinese  liked  to  have  me  take  their  pictures. 
These  last  spoiled  several  films  for  me  by  reversing 
their  heads  at  the  opportune  time  or  by  running  away. 

I  now  hurried  to  that  out-of-door  restaurant, 
changed  coolies,  had  a-monkey-and-a-parrOt  fight  over 

242 


Beside  the  Post-office 


Another  Repast 


Just  reached  the  Cigarettes 


My  Model  enjoys  it 


.1   MORNING   IN  SINGAPORE 

the  fee  of  the  first  one,  which  was  finally  settled  by 
the  intervention  of  the  barkeep  who  threw  down  the 
proper  amount  and  told  the  man  to  take  it  or  leave. 
He  did   both. 

It  was  already  past  twelve  so  I  hurried  my  new 
horse,  the  barkeep  telling  him  where  I  was  to  he  taken. 
As  I  left  the  town  I  saw  some  women  at  work  sawing 
wood  by  the  seashore,  and  I  secured  two  very  good 
pictures  of  them  so  engaged;  but  I  was  so  hurried  and 
elated   at  the  remarkably  good   views  I  had   procured, 


-■*  ifflfif '*  4B^k 

\di 5m 

J*  .. 

* 

|85^^^>-    '  Jl       ***  v 

lb.,        1  ^^V                                ^H 

ir*H    MP* 

I^jI^sn  .  v^^or*   1 

■MHHH    Mfl^HH^^^^Km4HHl 

■40 

/I   Market 

the  fun  of  the  thing  and  all,  that  both  were  on  the  sa 
plate,    which    is    not    here    reproduced.     Beside    I  Ik 
however,  J  stopped  a  young  woman  with  ;i   basket 
her  head  and   with   a   sign   asked    her  to  pose  for  1 
which  she  was  very  glad  to  do. 

Rattling   alone    we    soon    came    to   an    old    fell 
striding  under  a   Chinese   umbrella,  carrying   his  si 
pers.     1  alighted,  held  up  my  hand  for  him  to  raise 
head  a  bit,  stood  in  his  path  and  motioned    him  to 
quiet.      lie  obeyed  with  exactness. 

248 


1 1  14' 

'111. 

on 

iif, 

<»\\ 

ip 

his 

be 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   TN  NINETY  DATS 

A  liilK*  further  along  as  wo  passed  a  young  woman 
who.  apparently,  was  taking  her  father's  dinner  to 
him,  1  leaped  out  and  motioned  her  to  be  quiet.  My 
horse  laughed  ;i  bit,  and  I  secured  two  pictures  of  her. 
She  appeared  very  pleased  at  my  efforts  to  amuse  her. 

Again  I  stopped,  dismounted  and  secured  a  group 
of  three,  who  could  not  have  been  more  pleased  had 
1  tickled  the  bottoms  of  their  feet.  The  amount  of 
clothing  they  showed  was  remarkable. 


Willing  to  pose 

Especially  is  this  so,  when  a  comparison  be  made 
with  the  costume  of  some  workingmen  who  were  at 
work  alongside  the  highway. 

It  lacked  but  two  minutes  to  one,  our  starting 
time,  as  I  climbed  the  gangway  after  paying  my 
horse  fifteen  cents  per  hour;  but  to  my  relief  and  dis- 
gust I  discovered  that  there  was  still  a  full  hour  before 
departure;    and   such   a   sight  as  the  "Preussen"   was! 

244 


A  n  oth  er  Restaurant 


Hold  up  your  Head 


Father's  Dinner 


Three  Little  Maids 


A   MORNING   IN  SINGAPORE 

She  had  been  coaled  in  our  absence,  and  there  was 
evidence  thereof  to  the  extent  of  a  thirty-second  of  an 
inch  of  coal  dust  on  everything.  At  every  port  we  had 
this  same  mess.  The  coal  is  brought  aboard  in  sacks 
on  the  backs  of  natives,  and  the  fine  dust  permeates 
everything,  and  blackens  the  faces  of  every  being  on 
the  ship. 


Warm  Work 


I  returned  to  the  shore  to  take  some  views  on  the 
wharf. 

As  wTe  finally  drew  away  from  the  deck  a  flock  of 
native  canoes  accompanied  us,  whose  occupants,  by 
shrill  cries,  urged  us  to  throw  money  for  which  they 
would  dive. 

They  were  utterly  reckless  and  they  would 
decend  to  an  astounding  depth  and  always  succeeded 
in  overtaking  the  shining  coin,  no  mailer  how  swiftly 
it  were  hurled.  The  most  skilful  of  all  were  ;i 
father  and    his    son,    a    fat    little    rascal    iml    over    four 

2  1  ■"> 


AROUND   THE   WtHtl.h   IN   NINETY  PAYS 


Results  of  tiro  Nickels 


w 


The  last  of  Singapore 

246 


.1   MORNING    IN  SINGAPORE 

years  old.  He  appeared  more  at  home  in  the  water 
than  in  the  canoe  and  they  two  had  their  checks 
bulging   with    our  coin  when  we   left  them   astern. 

It  was  the  last  of  Singapore.      We  were  now  headed 
for  Penang,  about  twenty-eight  hours  run. 


2  17 


CHAPTER   XVI 


TO  CEYLON 

From  Singapore  to  Penang,  the  distance  is  3!)5 
miles,  throughout  which  the  Captain  never  slept,  nor 
left  the  chart  room.  It  was  the  most  dangerous  part 
of  the  trip,  for  land  loomed  up  in  plain  sight,  for  much 
of  the  time,  upon  either  hand;  mountainous  Sumatra 
on  the  left  and  the  Malay  Peninsula  on  the  right.  We 
were  making  the  Straits  of  Malacca. 

This  sea -going  business  is  far  from  the  exact 
science  it  is  quite  generally  understood  to  be,  I  fear. 
As  matter  of  fact,  with  the  sun  hidden,  no  captain 
living  can  tell  within  fifty  miles,  where  he  is,  for  a 
surety.  A  current  of  which  he  may  be  wholly  un- 
aware,—  a  current  flowing  swifter  to-day  than  yes- 
terday, -a  heavy  drifting  wind,  —  any  one  of  them 
may  send  him  far  from  his  course;  and  it  is  this  knowl- 
edge that  keeps  him  almost  insane  with  anxiety  and 
uncertainty,  except  when  in  the  wild  open  sea.  Then 
he  cares  not  where  he  is,  so  long  as  he  is  where  there 
is  no  land  within  an  hundred  miles;  and  he  becomes 
as  companionable  as  any  employee  can  be  who  has 
the  authority  of  life  and  death  over  a  kingdom  con- 
taining one  thousand  people,  many  of  whom  are  his 
superiors  in  everything  else. 

Upon  quitting  Singapore  the  air  became  cool 
again,  the  kindly  monsoon  came  from  dead  ahead, 
and,  with  many  new  faces  from  Java,  Borneo  and 
Singapore,  and  the  continuous  sight  of  land,  we  were 
entirely  comfortable.  That  night  our  linen  sleep- 
ing bags  were  insufficient  and,  as  all  other  coverings 
had  been  removed  from  the  cabins,  we  had  recourse 
to  our  wardrobe  a  little  before  sunrise;  and  during 
the  day  of  the  twenty-third   (August)  I  wore  my  rain- 

248 


TO   CEYLON 

coat  all  day  and  was  still  too  cool.     The  glass  regis- 
tered at  79°  at  noon. 

Of  Penang  we  saw  little  except  lights  which 
indicated  that  the  island  was  of  slight  elevation,  as  it 
was  seven-fifteen  when  we  hove-to  about  a  mile  from 
shore.  Every  officer  aboard  had  promised  to  see 
that  I  went  ashore,  and  every  one  of  them  went  flat 
back  on  me,  so  that  I  have  the  memory  that  Penang 
is  a  very  unpleasant  place,  except  for  one  thing,  and 
that  was  the  wonderful  exhibition  of  phosphorescence 
which  accompanied  any  disturbance  of  the  water  by 
oar  or  boat.  It  was  as  if  the  oars  dipped  very  light 
green  electric  lights  into  the  water  at  every  stroke, 
or,  again,  as  if  each  passing  craft  dragged  an  electric 
shaft  after  it,  beneath  the  surface  of  the  waving  water. 

After  a  stay  of  an  hour  and  a  half,  we  were  away 
again,  now  headed  due  west,  at  a  little  less  than  6°N. 
Lat.,  on  the  trip  of  four  and  a  half  days  to  Colombo 
in  Ceylon,  the  jewel  market  of  all  the  world,  1084 
miles  from  Penang. 

My  diary  for  this  trip  is  as  follows: 

"Wed.  2-lth  Aug.  Cool  again  last  night.  Cool 
all  day.     Air  80°. 

"Thursday,  25th  Aug.  Cool  last  night.  Saltwater 
baths  in  a  huge  sail  on  deck  at  6  a.m.  Very  cool  all 
day  —  wore  heavy  suit  and  everybody  has  steamer 
rugs  out.  Heavy  head  wind  which  we  arc  promised 
will  last  until,  and  even  through  the  Red  Sea.     Air  82°. 

"Friday,  26th  Aug.  Sea  heaviest  since  leaving 
San  Francisco  and  too  cool  to  be  on  deck,  even  in  my 
blue  serge  suit  (heavy  trousers)  and  raincoat.  Have 
felt  near  to  seasickness  all  day.  Unless  this  sea  goes 
down  I  expect  it  will  catch  me  before  very  long.  Only 
five  at  our  table  last  evening,  and  six  this  a.m.  at  break- 
fast and  lunch.  A  good  many  disgusted  looking  people 
are  lying  about  the  decks  in  their  huge  chairs.      Air  7!)°. 

"Saturday,  27th  Aug.  Sea  quiel  to-day.  Wore 
same  clothing  I  wear  in  the  States;  and  covered  with 
coat  all  day.  Read  3-4  novels.  Am  still  a  little  shaky, 
Air  HO0;'     But  I  escaped. 

240 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IX   NINETY  DAYS 

By  this  time  those  of  us  who  had  come  on  at 
Hong  Kongfelt  as  if  we  owned  the  ship  and  conducted 

its  affairs;  and  our  crowd,  of  course,  had  sonic  hard 
thing's  to  say  about  the  encroachments  of  the  many 
impudent  people  who  joined  ns  at  Singapore  and 
converted  our  private  yacht  into  an  ocean  steamer; 
and  yet  I  presume  these  people  paid  their  passage 
and  were  entitled  to  those  privileges  which  we  superior 
people  did  not  want.  When  there  were  only  a  score 
of  us,  each  could  have  any  place  on  deck  lie  desired 
but  when  the  number  was  doubled,  and  as  many  more 
seven-foot  chairs  came  on,  too,  whose  owners  had 
decided  that  they  wanted  their  chairs  in  a  certain  place 
all  the  time,  a  question  arose  that  has  never  yet  been 
settled,  I  am  told,  by  any  steamer  company:  i.e.,  "Who 
owns  this  part  of  the  deck,  anyhow?" 

Various  solutions  have  been  offered.  The  best 
one  of  which  I  know  is  to  fee  the  deck  steward  and, 
when  the  offending  party  is  down  below,  the  obliging, 
forgetful  servant  will  put  your  chair  where  you  want  it 
and  kick  the  other  one  around  the  corner  where  its 
owner  does  not  want  it. 

This  gang  of  interlopers  and  codfish  aristocracy 
who  invaded  us  at  Singapore  were  mostly  Dutch  from 
Java  who  were  going  home  to  the  little  kingdom  of 
dam  towns  --  Rotterdam,  Amsterdam,  and  the  rest 
of  the  dam  family.  Splendid,  hearty,  domestic,  frank, 
honest  .people  whom  you  would  trust  with  all  your 
money  on  five  minutes  acquaintance,  with  such  de- 
votion and  content  between  man  and  woman  as  you 
never  saw  in  any  other  people  —  unassuming,  modest, 
plain  of  dress  and  speech,  but  steady,  strong,  anchored 
fore  and  aft,  unassailable,  a  stone  wall  when  convinced 
that  they  are  right,  all  in  all  the  best  people  the  world 
has  produced. 

They,  like  the  families  whom  we  joined  at  Hong 
Kong,  were  taking  Oriental  servants  to  the  Continent 
with  them;  amahs,  they  call  them,  Malay  or  Chinese 
servants,  male  or  female,  as  the  taste  may  desire. 

Our  friendship  with  these   Europeans  who  dwell 

250 


TO  CEYLOX 

in  the  East  gave  us  an  insight  into  the  life  they  live, 
that,  quickly  stated,  may  be  interesting.  Their  house's 
are  rilled  with  servants.  So  enervating  is  the  heat 
that  soon  after  one's  arrival  from  Europe,  the  laziness 
of  the  Oriental  life  is  gladly  adopted  and  from  that 
moment  until  sickness  compels  a  journey  home,  in 
a  couple  of  years,  the  newcomer  does  nothing  physi- 
cally or  mentally  that  he  can  get  done  by  a  coolie  or  an 
amah.  The  European  woman  has  two  or  three  chair 
coolies,  a  sewing  amah,  two  or  three  for  cooks,  as 
many  more  for  general  housework,  a  similar  number 
for  the  table  work,  several  in  the  laundry,  and  a  nurse 
or  two.  An  amah  does  her  mistress's  hair,  does  her 
manicuring,  practically  dresses  and  undresses  her. 
and,  between  whiles,  sits  like  a  spaniel  by  her  chair, 
stroking  her  hand  and  gazing  fondly  into  1km-  face; 
and  if  the  two  can  converse  in  Malay,  an  exceedingly 
easy  thing  to  do,  the  native  will  jabber  along  like  a 
happy  child  hour  after  hour,  or  croon  a  song  that 
seems  endless.  The  mistress  never  stirs  a  hand  or 
moves  from  her  long  reclining  chair.  If,  by  chance  she 
has  turned,  in  a  doze,  onto  the  book  she  was  reading, 
she  never  reaches  to  find  it.  She  calls  the  amah  for 
that  purpose.  Never  does  she  cross  the  room  to  fetch 
anything.  The  amah  attends  to  that.  If  she  desires 
to  sleep  she  never  pulls  the  light  shawl  by  her  side 
over  her  chest.  The  amah  does  it.  The  amah  docs 
everything. 

To  hire  ten  of  these  servants,  which  is  apparently 
about  the  average  number  a  modest  Eastern  home 
demands,  costs  from  $25  to  $30  a  month,  about  the 
cost  of  a  single  first-class  servant  in  the  States;  and 
she  does  about  as  much  as  the  whole  lot  of  them. 
A  dollar  a  week  is  an  extravagant  wage  for  Malay  or 
Chinese  servants,  and  they  board  themselves  and 
bring  np  their  always  large  families  on  this  sum.  Fruit 
and  rice  are  substantially  all  they  need  for  U»><\:  and 
neither  costs  anything  worth  defining.  Hence  the} 
are  usually  carried,  when  accompanying  I  heir  employers, 
free  of  charge  on  an   Asiatic  steamer  which   provides 

25  l 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IX  NINETY  DAYS 

them  with  a  corner  somewhere  to  sloop  and  the  leavings 
from  the  table  for  food. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  European  women  contract 
physical  troubles  in  such  surroundings  that  compel 
their  frequent  journeys  home?  Life  for  them  must  be 
one  eternal  sacrifice.  In  the  East  they  are  like  birds 
in  an  unhealthy,  hot  cage.  In  Europe  they  are  away 
from  their  families  for  months  at  a  time.  There  is  no 
contentment  to  be  had. 


Chinese  Fondle  Amah 


We  had  one  Chinese  amah  aboard  to  attend  one 
of  these  invalid  ladies.  This  female  servant  wore 
the  thin,  wide,  brown  cambric  trousers  and  long  roomy 
sleeyed,  loose  coat  reaching  to  the  knees  that  Chinese 
men  affect  so  much  in  the  States.  She  also  wore  the 
regulation  Chinese  padded  footwear.  She  was  never 
out    of    sight    of    her    mistress    night    or   day,  sleeping 

252 


TO  CEYLON 

beside  the  latter's  couch  every  night,  fanning  her 
when  sleeping  on  deck. 

The  only  thing  that  a  European  ever  appears  to 
say  to  an  amah  is  in  half-formed  sentences  like  "Go 
fetchee  little  piecee  string  —  my  trunk  -  look  amah, 
my  trunk,  top  side.  Go  fetchee,  quick.  Chop!  Chop! 
Go  fetchee!" 

In  carrying  white  children,  these  servants  in- 
variably place  them  over  the  hip,  and  let  the  baby's 
little  legs  straddle  the  waist.  The  nurse  holds  one 
arm  loosely  behind  the  child  while  the  other  is  entirely 
free. 


Betty 

The  Malay  amah,  the  female,  wears  b 
garment  so  far  as  I  know,  and  that  a  colored 
bag  through  which  she  thrusts  her  head.  The 
arrangement  reaches  to  the  knees  of  her  ill 
legs.  Barefooted  she  is  always,  and  with  Hal 
flat  head,  retreating  forehead  and  irregular 
teeth,  she  presents  but  few  agreeable  physica 
acteristies.  As  the  temperate  /one  is  entered 
made  to  don  stockings,  shoes  and  oilier  protecto 

There   was  one    Malay    male   amah   aboard. 


III 

one 

e; 

i  lico 

w 

dole 

slu 

iped 

c 

hot. 

', 

poor 

1    ( 

•har- 

si 

ie   is 

rs. 

w 

hose 

ABOUND   THE  W<>h'/J>   TN   NINETY  PAYS 


especial  chaise  was  a  six  months  old  Dutch  baby, 
whose  young  parents  were  journeying  to  their  home 
in  Amsterdam  from  their  coffee  plantation  in  Java, 
lie  watched  "Betty"  like  a  dog.  I  have  the  little 
thing's  portrait  as  she  lay  asleep  in  the  sunlight,  with 
her  mamma,  sitting  on  the  deck,  tilting  up  one  end  of 
the  basket.  Hetty  would  sleep  in  this  position  for  a 
number  of  hours  each  day. 

Hetty  spent   the  day  in  the  basket,  swinging  from 


Betty's  Amah 

the  upper  deck,  and,  when  asleep  and  her  picture  were 
not  wanted,  she  was  guarded  from  insects  by  an 
encircling  shawl,  while  beside  her,  silent,  sat  her 
patient,  barefooted  protector. 

To  this  amah  was  entrusted  every  care  she  re- 
quired. He  was  dressed,  as  the  picture  smoewhat 
indicates,  in  short,  white  duck  trousers,  a  jacket 
and    a    broad,    vari-colored    silk   sash   under   the   coat, 

254 


TO  CEYLON 

the   long  ends   of  the   sash   hanging  far  down   on   the 
left  side. 

At  the  first  call  for  breakfast  every  fellow  jumped 
out  of  his  bunk,  wrapped  a  kimona  about  him  and 
made  for  the  salt  water  tubs,  between  decks.  As  on 
the  "Sherman"  each  passenger  could  engage  a  tub 
for  a  certain  twenty  minutes  each  day,  by  writing  his 
name  on  a  list  opposite  the  time  desired.  If  anybody 
was  late  or  early,  and  of  course,  he  was  usually  one  or 
the  other,  he  found  out  the  name  of  the  man  who 
should  have  been  there  and  wasn't,  and  inserted  his 
own  name,  so  that  there  was  an  apparent  justification 
for  the  theft  or  error. 

If  a  man  desired,  he  sat  about  by  the  half-hour 
before  or  after  his  bath  in  his  kimona,  many  of 
which  were  very  rich  and  beautiful.  and  his  bare 
feet,  shins  and  throat  were  no  bars  to  the  entry  into  any 
society  on  board.  Groups  of  a  number  of  chatting, 
smoking  men,  so  attired,  and  their  lady  friends  seated 
or  standing  about  a  large  table  on  deck  loaded  with 
fruits,  cakes  and  coffee  —  a  before  breakfast  breakfasl 
—  were  accompaniments  of  each  day. 

The  table  on  this  boat  was  extraordinary.  It 
was  fully  equal,  except  in  variety,  to  that  on  the  "Kaiser 
Wilhelm  II.,"  the  premier  hotel  now  crossingthe  Atlantic, 
and  in  respect  to  fruit  was  far  in  advance  of  it.  Some 
of  the  Far  Eastern  fruits  excel  any  we  have,  so  far  as 
my  taste  is  concerned.  I  have  never  yet  seen  or  Listed 
any  fruit  in  the  States  or  the  Continent  which  approaches 
the  mangostine  in  delicacy. 

But  the  frequent  stops  which  we  made  at  large 
ports  afforded  opportunity  for  the  purchase  of  fresh 
meats  and  other  supplies,  so  that  there  were  no  in- 
dications from  the  appearance  or  taste  or  effeel  of  the 
food,  that  we  were  not  dining  at  a  first-class  German 
hotel  on  land. 

The  only  thing   I   did   not    like  aboul    the  dining 
room    were    those    eternal    punkahs,    which,    swinging 
back  and  forth,  propelled   by  the  young  Chinese  who 
sat  on  the  floor  just  outside  the  main  entrance,  swatted 

255 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IX  NINETY  DATS 

me  in  the  nose  nearly  every  time  I  sat  down  or  arose 
from  the  table.  And  in  time  of  danger  from  sea- 
sickness! think  of  the  effecl  perhaps,  however,  I 
should  not  advise  that  -upon  a  man  just  fighting  to 
keej)  on  his  feet,  seated  at  a  table  and  looking  up  and 
seeing  half  the  ceiling  moving  toward  him,  then  receding 
and  regularly  returning.  Then  1  hurried  for  the  open 
deek,  and  when  feeling  at  all  squeamish  thereafter  I 
ordered  my  food  brought  to  my  chair  on  the  deek  and, 
in  the  hotter  days,  that  was  the  rule  pursued  by  most 
of  the  passengers. 

Breakfast  was  no  sooner  out  of  the  way  and  the 
dav  fairly  begun  when  the  band  struck  in  at  eleven  for 
the  first  extra  luncheon, — tea,  coffee,  lemonade, 
crackers,  all  sorts  of  sandwiches  and  cakes,  which  was 
passed  about  the  deck.  Then  came  luncheon  proper. 
"Tiffin"  we  had  left  in  China. 

Then  everybody  went  to  sleep,  on  deck  if  the  day 
were  warm,  below'  if  cool.  That  was  when  those 
couch  chairs  became  the  best  things  ever,  for  with 
two  or  three  cushions  they  were  far  preferable  to  any 
others  aboard. 

But  the  kids  got  after  us.  Besides  the  Arabian 
and  his  wife,  a  Chinaman,  or  two,  several  English  women 
with  their  children,  babies  with  amahs,  etc.,  etc., 
there  had  sneaked  in  unbeknown  to  us  a  pest  that 
nearly  disrupted  our  party,  in  the  guise  of  a  captain 
in  the  German  army,  monoele  and  all  who,  with  his 
wife,  by  reason  of  his  great  position  was  given  place  at 
the  Captain's  right.  They,  this  couple,  had  two  beer- 
drinking  baby  boys,  who  drank  all  the  mugs  dry  that 
they  could  get  their  little  hands  onto,  and  the  way 
they  would  howl  was  wonderful.  They  were  of  the 
kind  that  howls  like  so  many  coyotes  and  the  father, 
being  a  gentleman,  could  only  whip  them.  It  was 
explained  to  me  that  German  officers  have  to  be  gen- 
tlemen, but  this  one  was  nothing  but  a  human  hog, 
caring  only  for  himself,  entirely  regardless  of  the 
comfort,  wishes,  or  rights  of  others,  --a  perfect  cad. 

But  how  to  stop  the  kids?     That  was  the  ques- 

256 


TO  CEYLON 

tion.  They  had  successively  halted  their  train  of  cars 
and  tooted  beside  every  sleeping  passenger  who  lay 
happily  dreaming  in  his  chair  so  often  that  a  council 
of  war  was  held,  and  the  Captain  told  to  help  us. 
He  only  said,  "What  can  I  do?     Drown  them  ?" 

That  baby  problem  is  also  another  thing  that  will 
have  to  be  arranged  before  I  again  agree  to  spend  a 
whole  month  on  a  boat  with  a  dozen  squalling  babies. 

Mrs.  C.  solved  the  riddle.  One  day  when  we 
were  all  about  crazy  with  so  much  yelling  and  spanking, 
she  screeched  in  answer  to  the  German  army  nuisances, 
mocking  them  perfectly;  and  after  this  had  been 
done  a  number  of  times,  it  dawned  upon  the  thick- 
headed army  officer  that  something  was  being  said  to 
him;  and  thereupon  he  kept  his  calliopes  in  a  remote 
part  of  the  ship. 

Hardly  was  one  awake  after  the  siesta  when  the 
band  tooted  once  more  at  four  o'clock  for  more  sand- 
wiches, cakes,  etc.,  etc.,  and  then  came  the  formal 
dinner,  at  which  about  half  of  the  men  appeared  in 
dress  suits  and  half,  without;  and  the  little  band  turned 
into  an  orchestra.  After  that  about  everybody,  ladies 
and  all,  except  our  little  circle,  rushed  for  the  gentle- 
man's smoking  room.  The  band  played  on  the  main 
deck  with  mugs  of  beer  between  the  legs  of  its  members, 
from  eight-thirty  to  nine-thirty.  There  was  a  last 
service  of  large  beers  and  the  day  was  done.  ( )ur  fam- 
ily varied  this  continuously  with  an  hour  of  walking 
each  evening. 

So  you  see,  it  was  a  continuous  ease  of  eat,  music, 
eat,  music;   eat,  music;   and  drink  beer. 

With  such  an  outrageous  course  of  diet,  in  an 
enervating  climate,  confined,  as  we  were,  to  ;i  small 
area,  it  is  a  wonder  that  anybody  escaped  alive.  Had 
I  not  dodged,  this  story  would  never  have  been  written. 

The  greatest  excitement  of  each  day,  however, 
was  provided  by  the  sweepstakes,  I  lie  pool  on  the 
day  run  of  the  ship.  Forty  numbers  were  placed 
folded  in  a  box.  For  a  mark  (twenty  cents)  <>n<- 
could  blindly  draw  one  number.     The  number  drawn 

257 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IX  NINETY  DAYS 


that  nearest  approximated  the  exact  distance  covered 
by  the  ship  in  the  past  twenty-four  hours,  took  all  the 
money,  $8.00.  On  occasions,  the  stakes  were  increased. 
At  this  game  the  Chamberlin  family  became  notorious. 
Of  the  fifteen  contests  of  this  character,  either  Mrs.  C. 
or  I  won  in  nine,  until  the  rest  of  the  contributors 
were  astounded.  some  angry,  many  suspicions. 
In  all  we  won  about  $60.  We  intended  to  spend  it  all 
on  the  last   night  of  the  voyage  in  a  huge  champagne 


The    Quartette 

punch  to  the  ship,  but  many  became  so  angry  at  our 
continual  wins  that  we  kept  the  money  just  out  of 
spite.      Besides,  we  were  getting  short,  anyhow. 

One  day  I  happened  to  be  leaning  over  the  for- 
ward rail  when  I  recognized  a  face  for  which  I  had 
been  searching.  Its  owner  was  a  full  professor  in 
one  of  the  largest  law  schools  in  the  United  States, 
who  was  traveling  third-class  on  an  Asiatic  steamer, 
in  the  summer  time,  with  several  hundred  ill-smelling 

258 


TO  CEYLON 

Chinamen,  Malays  and  Cingalese;  an  experience  lie- 
side  which  a  steerage  passage  on  an  Atlantic  liner 
would  have  been  a  fete.  He  plainly  showed  the  signs 
of  wear.  I  had  no  idea  he  was  in  the  steerage.  ^Jn 
the  second-class  was  where  I  had  placed  him.  He 
was  just  completing  his  journey  around  the  world, 
and  the  entire  trip  would  not  cost  him  over  $300, 
including  everything,  the  trip  across  Europe  and 
America.  From  Manila  to  New  York  his  passage 
was  only  $130.  But,  great  as  was  the  saving,  it  is  not 
an  experience  that  I  could  advise;  nor,  do  1  believe, 
he  would.  He  was  a  pretty  forlorn  looking  object 
when  I  saw  him,  and  the  work  of  bad  air,  poor  food, 
filth  and  disgust  at  his  inevitable  companions  had 
made  havoc  in  his  cheeks. 

The  Captain  of  the  "Sherman"  should  know 
that  the  decks  of  the  "Preussen"  were  washed  at  the 
luncheon  hour,  that  no  fatal  results  ensued  and 
that  we  all  slept  better  at  night  for  the  change. 

While  wTe  were  asleep  in  the  cool  night  of  Saturday, 
the  twenty-seventh  of  August,  our  white  ship  crept 
into  Colombo  harbor,  another  English  port,  and 
dropped  anchor  at  about  a  quarter  mile  from  shore. 


259 


CHAPTER  XVII 


FOUR  HOURS  IN  CEYLON 


The  ship  was  early  astir  on  Sunday  the  twenty- 
eighth  of  August,  and  before  seven  the  patter  of  many 
bare  feet,  the  chatter  of  a  strange  tongue  and  scurrying 
visions  of  dark  faces  and  black  hair  told  us  that  we 
were  in  a  new  land. 

By  eight  o'clock  and  without  breakfast  half  a 
dozen  of  us  were  climbing  down  the  gangplank  into 
one  of  the  small  rowboats,  covered  with  an  awning  of 
sheeting,  that  surrounded  us  —  their  owners  shouting 
their  desire  for  custom.  The  sun  was  already  furiously 
hot  and  covered  carriages  of  American  style  (carryalls) 
drawn  by  large  Australian  horses  were  procured  for 
the  trip  that  all  steamer  passengers  take  while  the  ship 
is  coaled  and  provisioned  —  the  visit  to  Mt.  Lavinia. 
We  had  until  12.20,  noon. 

Native  policemen  abounded  at  the  wharves,  and 
as  they  could  speak  English  we  impressed  their  services 
to  secure  our  carriages  and  adjust  the  prices,  which, 
like  the  charges  for  the  ferry  from  the  ship  to  shore 
-  twenty-five  cents  —  are  fixed  by  public  regulations, 
an  English  thought  for  strangers  which  is  further 
shown  by  the  presence  on  steamers  of  pamphlets 
containing  these  things  and  many  other  facts  useful 
to  the  hurried  traveler.  This  was  the  land  of  the 
rupee,  thirty-three  and  one-third  cents,  and  we  were 
warned  that  nothing  else  would  be  accepted  except  at 
English  establishments  and  then  at  heavy  rates  of 
exchange.  What  that  means  may  be  understood  when 
I  paid  forty  cents  to  change  £5  (English  —  $25  Ameri- 
can) to  rupees. 

There  is  one  splendid  thing  about  an  English 
colony  in  the  East.  There  is  no  opportunity  for 
enforcing  exorbitant  charges  for  public  service  and  all 

260 


FOUR  HOURS   IX  CETLOU 

such  conveniences  are  exceedingly  reasonable.  Under 
no  other  Government  in  the  world  would  you,  I  am 
sorry  to  say,  find  a  law  enforcing  —  and  enforced, 
too,  right  up  to  the  handle  —  the  rate  that  boatmen 
shall  charge  for  carrying  passengers  to  and  from  a 
steamer  in  the  harbor. 

Lavinia  is  a  wooded  promontory  some  five  miles 
from  town,  on  the  highest  point  of  which,  jutting  far 
out  into  the  sea,  is  located  the  Mt.  Lavinia  Hotel, 
a  first-class   English   retreat,   from   whose   open   rooms 


By  the  Road 

one  may  see  miles  of  tall  nodding  palms  fringed  by 
the  white  surf,  breaking  in  broad  curves  on  ;i  white 
beach. 

To  reach  this  spot,  one  rides  entirely  through 
the  town,  which  is  almost  wholly  English  in  archi- 
tecture and  all  modern.  English  soldiers,  in  khaki, 
and  cork  helmets  are  often  met.  Until  away  from 
the  city  as  many  Caucasians  meet  the  eyes  as  natives. 
Once    free    of    the    town,    with    the    broad,    well-kept 

261 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   TN  NINETY  DAYS 

streets,  we  rode  along  on  a  hard,  wide  road,  by  the 
sea,  past  a  huge  European  hotel,  beside  wide  parks, 
a  polo  did),  a  parade  ground  always  the  accom- 
paniments of  an  English  garrison  town,  past  beauti- 
ful residences,  half-hidden  in  waving  palms,  huge 
leaved  tropical  plants,  long  hedges  and  fern  trees,  with 
flowers  and  lawns  that  led  to  the  sea  whose  white 
foam  eonld  he  seen  crested  like  an  endless  waving  wall 
beyond;     past    less    pretentious    places,    on   either   side 


The  Tomb  and  the  Sea 


of  the  street,  all  hidden  in  gardens  of  flowering  shrubs 
like  the  homes  in  Honolulu,  and  each  little  house  had 
its  name  on  the  gate. 

Then  the  native  houses  began  to  appear,  low, 
of  stone,  with  picturesque  red-tiled  roofs  which  pro- 
ject so  that  half  of  the  home  is  out  of  doors,  half 
within. 

The  draught  work  is  done  by  small  oxen  and 
the   native  vehicle   is   a   large   cart  set   on  two  wheels, 

262 


Cingalese  Cart 


A  Wayside  Croup 


FOUR  HOURS  IN  CEYLON 

the  body  thatched  on  the  sides  and  above  with  bam- 
boo and  nipa  or  its  equivalent,  a  house  on  wheels. 

The  Ceylonese  or  Cingalese,  as  you  or  I  may 
please,  are  unquestionably  the  best  looking  of  the 
black  races,  that  the  world  affords.  Their  counte- 
nances, carriage,  build  and  strength  are  those  of  the 
Caucasian.  They  are  erect,  broad-shouldered,  tall, 
deep-chested,  and  enjoy  good  teeth.  They  dress  as 
is  shown  in  the  pictures ;  that  is,  the  older  ones  do. 

One  characteristic,  however,  is  wanting  in  the 
pictures,  and  that  is  the  long  hair  of  many  of  the 
natives,  which  they  coil  about  the  top  of  the  head  in 
a  shining  black  braid,  of  which  they  take  great  care, 
and  which  is  held  in  place  by  a  tortoise-shell  comb 
— -  usually  beautifully  transparent,  for  we  were  at  the 
home  of  the  tortoise. 

The  younger  folk  dress  like  the  young  gentleman 
clad  in  a  piece  of  twine,  and  whose  picture  follows. 

I  readily  ascertained  that  I  was  not  the  firsl 
American  who  had  seen  that  little  fellow.  Some 
passing  transport  to  or  from  the  Philippines  had 
brought  an  American  soldier  to  that  boy.  It  was  ;i 
soldier  trick  if  I  know  one.  That  was  a  Winchester 
shell  hung  about  the  little  fellow's  hips  by  that  frail 
piece  of  store  cotton  string.  His  bracelets  and  neck- 
lace he  may  have  procured  elsewhere,  but  a  private 
in  our  volunteers  furnished  the  rest. 

On  either  hand  as  we  proceeded  further  from 
towTn,  were  beautiful  palm  groves,  whose  tall  trunks 
burst  up  through  thick  foliage,  and  for  the  last  mile 
we  rode  in  sight  of  the  sea  on  a  soft  forest  road  over 
hung  with  palms  so  thick  that  no  hot  rays  could  reach 
us.  Little  beggars  were  beside  us,  turning  somer- 
saults, or  clinging  to  our  carriage  till  a  small  army  of 
them  had  collected.  Our  repealed  refusals,  however, 
tired  them  and  they  soon  left  us  for  other  prey  already 
in  sight  behind  us.  When,  however,  a  young  mother 
with  a  babe  sucking  at  her  breast  ran  alongside,  with 
appealing  hand  extended,  we  could  no  longer  resist 
and  "gave  up"  freely. 

263 


AROUND    THE   WORLD   IN   NINETY  DAYS 

"The  Lavinia"  we  found  a  delightful  place 
reached  by  a  long  lane  of  tropical  gardens.  It  had  wide 
verandas  and  rooms  open  to  the  air,  which  came  in  a 
soft  breeze  from  the  sea  that  almost  surrounds  the 
spot.  A  broad  lawn,  rustic  scats,  shady  nooks  grown 
over  rocks  lashed  in  foam,  afforded  an  attractive  feast 
for  eves  that  were  hungry  for  the  Occident,  and  had 
seen  enough  of  the  Orient  to  last  for  some  period. 

Beautiful  teak  wood  furniture,  wonderfully  carved, 


Protected  by  American  SJiells 

adorned  large  parlors.  A  score  of  English  gentlemen, 
-  guests,  --  were  eating  in  all  sorts  of  places,  ap- 
parently wherever  they  asked  to  have  a  table  set; 
and  we,  taking  the  cue,  asked  to  be  served  on  the  lawn 
in  the  shade.  At  once  a  table  was  set  not  over  a 
hundred  feet  from  the  sounding  surf  below  us,  and  we 
devoted  ourselves  to  an  English  menu. 

Hardly  were  we  seated  when  many  ravens  began 

264 


FOUR  HOURS   IX  CEYLOX 

to  gather  on  the  roof  above  our  heads  in  the  near 
shrubbery  and  then  on  the  lawn  by  our  feet.  Often 
one  more  courageous  than  the  rest,  would  dart  down 
onto  our  serving  table,  snatch  a  remnant  and  escape 
from  the  scolding  Cingalee  who  attended  us.  I  then 
set  a  plate  of  crumbs  for  them  in  a  chair  about  six  feet 
away  from  us,  and  they  besieged  it. 

Back  to  town  we  went,  and  a  hot  ride  it  was. 

We  passed  a  group,  however,  which  would  make 
a  famous  picture;    as,   however,  it  was  on  the  shady 


The  Ravens 


side  of  the  street,  I  could  not  secure  an  instantaneous 
photograph  of  it.  Seated  on  the  curl),  beneath  ;i  tile 
roof,  was  an  old  native  gentleman,  with  nothing  on 
but  a  pair  of  slippers  and  a  towel  skirt.  His  deep, 
broad  chest  was  black  with  a  very  heavy  growth  <>i" 
curly  hair.  His  hair,  interspersed  with  gray,  was  coiled 
like  a  serpent  on  the  crown  of  the  head,  and  ;i  huge 
tortoise  comb,  half-circular,  was  set  upright  in  the  back 
of  it.      Low  down   on   his   nose   rested    ;i    huge   pair  of 

265 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IN  NINETY  DATS 

tortoise  rimmed  spectacles  with  round  glasses  fully  an 
inch  and  a  half  in  diameter,  the  largest  I  ever  saw  on 
a  human  being.  Through  these  his  eyes  were  slowly 
following  his  index  finger  as  it  picked  out  the  letters  in 
a  biblical  looking  hook,  which  lay  on  his  knees.  Aloud 
he  read  his  conclusions  to  a  wondering  group  of  native 
men  who  sat  on  their  haunches  before  and  beside  him, 
their  faces  solemnly,  earnestly  turned  to  his.  They 
paid  no  attention  to  my  interest  in  their  movements 
and  I  felt  the  occasion  was  too  sacred  to  be  interrupted 
by  an  ignorant  visitor;  and  I  would  not  ask  them  to 
sit  quietly  for  so  long  an  exposure  as  would  have  been 
necessary.  If  I  ever  saw  a  sacred  picture  there  it  was,— 
heathen,  idolaters,  Buddhists  or  whatever  those  people 
were,  they  were  trying  to  find  out  about  God. 

Hurrying  along,  we  were  soon  at  the  shops  and 
here,  even  if  it  was  Sunday  morning,  we  bargained 
up  to  the  last  thirty  seconds,  watch  in  hand.  We 
would  have  braved  losing  the  steamer,  but  we  had  no 
money  nor  had  any  of  our  party.  We  had  bor- 
rowed from  them  and  they  from  us,  and  when  all 
were  "busted"  we  loaded  ourselves  with  bundles  and 
started  for  the  water-front.  Meeting  other  passen- 
gers, we  raised  a  loan  sufficient  to  pay  the  boatman  to 
take  us  back  to  the  ship,  of  which  I  took  a  picture 
as  we  rounded  toward  the  gangway. 

There  is  an  advertisement  on  one  of  the  outlying 
boats  which  I  shall  not  further  describe,  as  I  shall  get 
nothing  from  the  man  who  paid  for  it. 

By  the  side  of  our  ship  were  some  fellows,  in  rude, 
frail  craft  with  wide  outriggers,  merchants  patiently 
holding  their  wares  to  the  view  of  our  passengers  far 
above  them. 

Then  came  the  last  moments  of  barter.  It  is  in 
the  last  five  minutes  of  the  stay  of  a  great  steamer  that 
advantageous  bargains  are  to  be  had.  Prices  then 
reach  their  lowest  level.  On  both  sides  it  is  a  case  of 
"now  or  never,"  and  usually  it  is  "now." 

As  for  myself  I  gave  my  attention  to  the  diving 
boys. 

266 


Drink  Tea 


-•tfjUgrrnBr     m 


The  Merchant 


FOUR  HOURS   IX  CEYLON 

Their  watermanship  is  wonderful,  and  I  have 
never  seen  one  fail  to  secure  the  little  shining  coin. 
Their  greatest  skill,  however,  is  shown  in  the  manage- 
ment of  their  canoes.  These  latter  are  made  to  leap 
forward  or  back,  far  to  one  side  or  the  other  like  ridden 
cay  uses. 

It  is  about  forty  feet  from  the  Captain's  deck  to 
the  water,  but  any  of  these  boys  were  glad  to  shin  up 
the  smooth  sides  of  our  craft  and  leap  far  out  for  a 
dime. 


Papa!   I  Dive! 

A  little  rat  in  the  above  picture  crawled  up 
to  where  he  is  shown,  beside  Mrs.  Chamberlin,  held  out 
his  hand  to  me  and  shouted  "Papa!  I  dive  Papa!" 
I'll  admit  my  face  was  crimson,  and  "Papa"  was 
hurled  at  me  for  the  rest  of  the  voyage. 

We  were  started  on  our  2100  miles  journey  of  ;i 
week,  for  Aden,  at  the  entrance  to  the  Red  Sea.  As 
we  moved,  the  divers  redoubled  their  clamor  and  they 
finally  had  to  be  beaten  oil'  the  ship's  sides  by  a   broom 

267 


ABOUND   THE  WORLD   l\   NINETY  DAYS 

wielded  by  a  stout  German  sailor  boy,  who  pounded 
their  little  hands  till  they  screamed  in  pain  and  dropped 
down  into  the  surging  waters  thirty  feet  below. 

These  and  three  naked  hoys  balancing  themselves 
on  a  treacherous  log  on  which  they  had  paddled  from 
shore,  dancing  up  and  down,  singing  'Tarrah  rah 
Boom  dv  Ay,  Tarrah  rah  Boom  de  Ay"  with  all  their 
lungs,  was  the  last  I  recall  of  Colombo. 

A  week  was  to  pass  before  we  could  again  step 
ashore. 


268 


CHAPTER   XVIII 


THREE   HOURS   IN  ARABIA 

A  great  note  of  rejoicing  swept  the  good  ship 
from  stem  to  sternpost  when  we  were  free  from  Ceylon 
and  headed  straight  to  the  northwest;  for  now  "the 
German  beer  could  be  tapped.  So  far  Japan  beer 
had  been  used,  which  only  served  to  stimulate  the 
German  appetite  for  its  native  brew. 

Now  the  wind  shifted  some,  and,  by  complaining 
to  our  fellow  passengers  that  we  did  not  like  our  cabin, 
we  kept  many  of  those  poor  people  who  were  in  rooms 
between  decks  from  occupying  No.  2,  the  companion 
to  our  own,  on  the  other  side  of  the  ship;  and  into  thai 
we  now  moved;  and  whenever  the  wind  shifted  back 
again  of  a  night,  we  went  back,  too,  so  that  we  were 
always  sure  of  any  breeze  there  was.  On  more  than 
one  occasion  we  occupied  both  rooms  during  the  same 
night,  being  awakened  by  the  sudden  warmth  caused 
by  the  departure  of  the  breeze. 

The  only  entries  in  my  diary  for  the  first  days  of 
this  part  of  the  voyage  are  the  distance  traveled,  the 
ship's  location,  and  the  temperature  of  82°  on  the 
first  day,  84°  on  the  second,  and  80°  on  the  third, 
which  was  the  last  day  of  August. 

That  day,  my  diary  reads:  "Very  cool.  Over- 
coat day.  The  birthday  of  the  Queen  of  Holland. 
A  wild  night,  I  tell  you,  with  free  champagne,  free 
champagne  punch,  and  free  beer,  etc.,  etc.  Holy 
smoke!  " 

Of  what  took  place  I  shall  set  down  but  little 
for  permanent  record.  This  is  a  yea  and  nay  vole 
and  I  am  always  very  careful  about  such  things.  In- 
deed I  am  not  quite  sure  that  I  ever  knew  jusl  wli.it 
did  occur  after  ten  o'clock,  although  I  am  informed 
that  I  left  the  field   of  battle  shortly   after  midnight. 

269 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IX  NINETY  DATS 

At  dinner,  there  were  great  goings  on,  speeches  in 
Dutch  mid  German,  toasts  and  champagne  for  all  the 
heads  that  wore  crowns  until  I  felt  as  if  I  had  on  the 
biggest  one  that  ever  was  made.  The  fat  little  captain, 
in  a  dress  uniform,  which,  when  he  sat  down,  hunched 
up  to  t lie  hare  spot  on  the  hack  of  his  cranium  and 
fairly  hid  the  bottom  of  his  red  ears,  made  a  little 
guttural  speech  and  everybody  shouted  "Hoch!  hoch!" 
and  1  thought  of  Admiral  Coghlan.  Betty's  hand- 
some  Dutch  papa  responded  and  there  were  more 
"Hochs."  The  band  played  the  German  and  Dutch 
national  anthems  out  of  tune  -the  band  had  been 
celebrating,  too  —  and,  when  adorned  in  miniature 
Dutch  flags  and  wearing  paper  fool-caps,  we  suc- 
ceeded in  climbing  upstairs,  the  orchestra  tooted  a 
waltz,  and  the  carnival  was  on  till  blamed  near  sunrise. 

Gee!  but  what  a  night  that  was!  I  lived  two 
years  in  four  hours. 

Aide  next  Exhibit,  to  wit :  (my  diary  for  the  next 
dav.) 

"Thursday,  1st  Sept.  The  day  after.  My  mouth 
tastes  like  quassia.  Ugh!  —  and  with  a  heavier  sea 
than  yesterday  I  am  almost  seasick.  I  slept  this  after- 
noon. Air  78°.  Several  flying  fish  came  aboard  on 
our  deck,  one  six  inches  and  one  ten  inches  long. 

"Friday,  c2nd  Sept.  We  won  the  sweepstakes, 
^28  marks  ($7.00).  Very  cool.  Overcoat  and  rug  all 
day  with  vest  on.  Heaviest  sea  of  the  trip.  Slept 
Friday  and  Saturday  night  with  sheets,  blanket  and 
overcoat  on  and  blind  (of  window)  half-closed.  No 
fan  on.  Worked  all  day  upon  report.  Going  by 
Escotra  (mountainous  island  on  the  outside  of  Cape 
Guardafui,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Africa)  all 
day  to-day.      Sea  birds  —  gulls  —  at  four  p.m.      Air  81°. 

•'Saturday,  3rd  Sept.  Woke  up  at  six,  to  find  it  warm 
and  no  sea.  Sun  shining.  Passed  small  fishing  schooner 
on  port,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  with  all  sails  furled. 

"Worked  all  day  on  report.  Air  89°,  the  hottest 
since  Hong  Kong." 


270 


THREE  HOCUS    IX  A  HA  HI  A 

This  was  the  last  night  before  the  lied  Sea  and  we 
could  understand  enough  to  fear  a  breezeless  passage 
between  the  hot  desert  sands  that  bound  it  a  thousand 
miles  on  each  side.  With  no  moving  air,  the  trip 
was  a  frightful  thing  to  contemplate,  when  here  we 
were,  way  out  at  sea  in  a  temperature  of  89°  and  already 
beginning  to  suffer  for  air.  That  temperature  would 
increase,  we  knew,  and  for  nearly  four  days  and  nights, 
for  it  is  a  good  1200  miles  through  the  Red  Sea,  we 
could  secure  no  relief  —  and  add  twenty-four  more 
for  the  Suez  Canal,  worse  still,  with  the  sands  so  near. 
The  outlook  was  very  gloomy. 

But  before  noon  our  breeze  came  back  and  hope 
with  it;  but  it  was  still  uncomfortable.  That  night 
many  slept  on  deck.  A  hundred  of  the  third  class 
slept  or  tried  to  sleep  in  the  air;  those,  who  had  any, 
in  chairs,  on  the  deck  below,  but  the  most  of  them 
stretched  out  on  the  hatches  and  the  smooth  deck. 

On  our  deck  and  in  the  second  cabin,  half  the 
passengers  occupied  their  chairs,  clad  in  kimonas  and 
wrappers.  Our  family  employed  our  fan,  and  had  a 
good  night. 

The  next  day,  Sunday,  Sept.  4th,  we  awoke  to 
find  the  Arabian  coast  near  us  on  the  starboard,  and 
a  more  discouraging  looking  place  mortal  eye  never 
beheld.  It  was  brown.  There  was  not  a  growing 
thing  in  the  landscape,  not  a  blade  of  grass-  simply 
burnt  earth,  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  Before  break- 
fast we  were  off  Aden. 

"Look!  Look!"  was  cried,  and  there  right  in 
the  midst  of  the  rowboats,  the  owners  of  which 
had  come  to  show  us  their  wares  or  to  take  us  ashore, 
were  the  fins  of  huge  sharks  elevated  two  feet  above 
the  water  —  great  fellows,  twenty  feet  long  and  there 
darting  in  and  out  they  remained  as  long  as  the  ship 
lay  to.  Seldom  have  I  seen  anything  that  appeared 
more    gruesome. 

Hereabouts,  too,  had  been  many  ol  the  world  s 
tragedies.     Within  fifty  miles  of  here,  a   wrecked  crew 


•2  71 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IN  NINETY  DATS 

had  been  eaten  by  cannibals,  and  that  within  a  few 
years.  Other  unfortunates  had  lately  been  carried 
away  into  slavery.  We  were  in  one  of  the  worst  locali- 
ties on  the  globe,  and  those  sharks  did  not  improve 
its  appearance  any. 

The  venders  in  the  boats  threw  up  little  balls 
attached  to  cords,  to  which  were  tied  such  articles  as 
we  desired  to  see.  These  were  drawn  up,  and  we  were 
busy  with  ostrich  pinnies,  koodoo  horns  and  heads, 
souvenir    postal    cards,    desert    armor,    etc.,    etc.     The 


Off  Aden 


price  indicated  was  usually  more  than  double  what  was 
eventually  paid  before  the  bargaining  was  done. 

Hailing  a  row-boat  we  started  ashore  after  agree- 
ing on  the  price  for  the  service  on  offering  different 
coins  until  the  amount  was  satisfactory  to  both  sides, 
a  very  reasonable  sum,  an  English  shilling  for  each 
passenger. 

No  sooner  were  we  ashore  than  a  horde  of  natives, 
with  carriages,  attached  themselves  to  us  and  could 
not  be  driven  off  until  we  disappeared  within  a  hotel, 

■1 7  ■> 


By  Aden 


The  Landing 


THREE   HOURS   IN  Ah' AB I A 

which  was  about  the  first  place  to  visit,  as  we  had  had 
no  breakfast. 

My,  but  what  a  place  that  was!  Hotel!  We 
couldn't  find  the  drawing  room.  There  was  a  dining 
room,  and  after  a  .hot  half  hour  spent  in  bargaining, 
in  the  shop  which  took  up  the  larger  part  of  the  build- 
ing, we  ate  elsewhere  —  on  the  narrow  veranda, 
where,  by  this  time,  a  score  of  our  friends  were  engaged 
similarly  or  with  iced  drinks. 

This  is  where  ostrich  feathers  may  be  bought  for 


On  the  Highway 

a  song,  and  the  "Preussen"  carried  to  Europe  many 
tubes  of  them  purchased  for  even  less  than  that. 

Armor,  swords,  strange  Soudan  and  Sahara  pieces, 
a  desert  musical  instrument,  a  Japanese  sword  and  a 
rhinoceros  shield  from  Abyssinia  fell  to  my  lot,  while 
Mrs.  Chamberlin  secured  many  things  of  a  liner  nature. 

That  was  the  hottest  and  the  most  detestable 
place  I  have  ever  visited.  There  is  not  one  thing 
about  it  that  is  fit  for  any  human  being. 

•27:5 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IN  NINETY  DAYS 

While  Mrs.  C.  was  purchasing,  I  lured  a  young 
boy  of  eighteen  without  any  shirt,  as  a  guide.  He 
took  me  to  I  ho  cable  station,  near  our  landing  place. 
Opposite  the  cable  office  was  a  tomb.  I  tried  to  get 
a  good  picture  of  a  camel  and  the  tomb  on  one  film, 
so  related  are  they,  l>nt  the  drivers  were  so  ugly  that 
they  would  not  stop  and  pose  for  me.  At  last,  an 
English  officer  of  police  Aden  is  another  English 
port  came  out  of  a  building,  evidently  the  police 
station,    and    observed    the    ungraciousness    of   one    of 


Beside  the   Tomb 


the  camel  drivers  who  had  sneered  at  my  request  — 
expressed  by  signs.  He  at  once  spoke  sharply  to 
two  native  policemen,  who  made  after  the  native, 
seized  his  camel  by  the  bridle,  turned  the  outfit  about 
and  brought  it  back,  with  its  now  sputtering,  balk- 
ing driver,  and  compelled  that  gentleman  to  pose  his 
steed  where  I  indicated.  If  that  native  called  me  half 
the  things  he  looked  —  as  well  as  said  —  and  he  said 
a  good  many --he  will  not  have  opportunity  ever  to 
fight  me  in  the  next  world,  i.e.,  if  he  gets  his  deserts. 

274 


THREE  HOURS  IN  ARABIA 

I  made  my  best  bow  to  my  English  cousin,  who  was 
very  glad,  he  assured  me,  to  accommodate  a  traveler. 
The  natives  are  an  ugly,  monkey-faced  lot,  black 
as  the  ace  of  spades,  some  clad  in  a  short  piece  of 
cloth  tied  at  the  waist,  some  in  loose  linen  —  children 
naked  except  for  a  breech  cloth.  Nobody  had  a  smile 
except  the  children.  Life  in  that  terrible  place  was 
too  hard  for  "the  genial  current  of  the  soul"  long  to 
remain  unbaked.     All  in  all,  they  looked  as  disgusted 


Principal  Street 


as  I  was  after  I  had  been  there  an  hour. 

The  architecture  is  Egyptian,  —  low,  square  mud 
houses,  —  but  just  as  I  was  engaged  in  making  history 
of  some  of  it,  my  camera  stuck  fast  and  I  had  to  hunt 
for  a  dark  room  and  some  new  films,  for  I  had  no 
more. 

That  dark  room  experience  was  more  uncom- 
fortable, physically,  than  the  one  at  the  top  of  the 
house  in   Canton    but   was    devoid    of   any  feeling   <>i 

275 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   l\   NINETY  DATS 

danger.  1  spenl  just  thirty-five  minutes  in  a  room 
in  the  hotel,  ten  feel  square,  with  every  window  and 
door  fastened.  1  drew  the  curtains,  but  it  was  not 
sufficiently  dark:  and  then  I  stripped  the  bed  of  its 
sheets  and  took  uj>  the  rugs;  and  by  tying  these 
succeeding  only  after  many  failures  in  making  them 
fast  upon  the  two  windows,  the  two  keyholes  and 
several  huge  cracks  that  were  under  the  doors,  1  had 
a  fair  place  in  which  to  work.  1  stumbled  oyer  fur- 
niture which  in  my  haste  1  had  misplaced  and,  shutting 


The  Veiled  Lady 

myself  into  a  dresser  adjusted  my  camera,  injected 
some  new  films,  which  the  hotel  store  had  in  abund- 
ance, and  threw  open  the  doors.  The  thermometer 
outside  that  day,  in  the  sun  was  107°.  What  it  was 
in  that  room  when  I  was  perched  on  a  rickety  chair 
standing  on  my  tip-toes  and  trying  to  reach  up  an  inch 
or  two  more  than  my  height  would  admit,  all  the  while 
striving  to  pin  up  a  heavy  Persian  rug  oyer  a  window, 
reaching,    stretching,    dropping   the    rug,    then    picking 

276 


THREE  HO  I  fRS    IN  Ah' A  BE  1 

it  up  again  and  beginning  all  over  anew,     I  make  no 
estimate.     I  have  never  dared  to  do  so. 

Everything  that  any  of  our  passengers  wore  that 
day  was  wet  as  if  rained  upon.  Huge  spots  of  per- 
spiration showed  on  the  backs  of  about  everybody 
from  the  shoulders  to  the  hips.  Beads  of  it  rolled  down 
the  face  and  dropped  on  to  our  clothing,  the  floor,  our 
plates,  our  purchases.  Large  beads  stood  out  all  over 
the  body  and  a  perfect  brook  followed  the  curves  of 
my   backbone.     Patches    of    wet    cloth    clung    to    the 


Fire-wood 


knees  and  all  in  all  we  were  drenched. 

A  carriage  was  now  engaged  to  ride  through  the 
town,  a  bit  of  a  place  set  into  the  side  of  the  dirt  hill, 
with  perhaps  two  hundred  houses. 

I  took  a  picture  of  camels  laden  witli  fire-wood. 
I  tried  to  get  a  good  picture  of  the  man  in  the  fore- 
ground but  he  struck  at  me,  snarled  and  cursed  I 
assume  that  he  did,  of  course,  as  his  language  was 
unintelligible  except  as  he  scowled  and  sounded  angry, 
spat  at  me  and  turned  away. 

277 


AROUND    THE  WORLD   IN  NINETY  DAYS 

The  conditions  here  are  the  hardest  1  have  seen 
to  which  a  man  must  submit,  to  live.  That  these 
people  can  live  to  old  age  in  this  sand,  under  such  a 
sun.  i>  beyond  my  comprehension,  and  I  do  not  won- 
der that  they  are  ugly. 

The    women    all    wore    veils    that    come   up   to   the 
eyes,    and    long,    flowing,    dark,    ample    skirts,    hut    as 
they   ran  every   time  they  saw  me  looking  at  them  - 
an    entirely     needless     precaution     on    their    part-- I 
could  not  secure  a  very  good  picture  of  them. 

The  monkey  characteristics  and  snarly  disposition 
of  these  natives  are  well  shown  in  one  of  the  pictures 
which  includes  part  of  our  carriage. 

But  it  was  ten-thirty.  We  had  to  hurry  then 
and  soon,  foolishly  paying  our  boatmen  in  advance, 
our  party.  Mrs.  C  Mrs.  Dalian  of  Singapore  and  her 
two  boys  were  being  rowed  with  our  plunder  from 
shore  by  four  half-naked,  ugly-looking  young  fellows. 

Instead  of  steering  for  the  "Preussen"  they, 
despite  my  expostulations,  proceeded  straight  out  to 
sea  and  left  a  native  boy  on  an  English  war  vessel. 
We  were  a  half-mile  from  our  destination,  now  in  a 
heavier  sea  than  such  a  boat  should  have  been  with 
our  load,  and  we  had  less  than  ten  minutes  to  spare 
if  our  ship  sailed  on  the  minute,  as  she  was  likely. 
You  may  imagine  that  just  then  was  the  moment 
when  I  perspired  the  most  freely  on  this  memorable 
day,  and  matters  came  to  a  crisis  when  we  started 
for  another  ship  still  further  away  from  our  own.  I 
leaped  to  my  feet,  drew  a  huge,  keen,  shining  Japanese 
sword  half  out  of  its  black  sheath  and  made  for  the 
man  nearest  me.  He  promptly  shielded  his  body 
with  his  oar,  slipped  backward  and  shouted  vehemently 
"Sit  down!    sit  down!" 

"Well,  row  then!"  I  answered  pointing  to  the 
"Preussen;"  and  row  they  did,  in  the  direction  in- 
dicated, postponing  to  a  later  hour  their  other  errand. 

The  big  ship  whistled  a  warning  note.  We 
could  see  visitors  leaving  and  I  shouted  to  my  crewT, 

278 


A  Side  Street 


The  Aden   Snarl 


THE  EE  HO  URS   IX  ARABIA 

and  showed  them  some  money.     This  made  our  boat 
leap,  and  my  anxiety  was  over. 

A  flood  fell  on  us  from  a  runaway  two-inch  hose 
that  was  being  used  to  wash  down  the  decks  in  our 
absence.  This  event  confused  us  a  good  deal,  and 
the  rolling  of  the  ship  did  not  add  to  our  steadiness. 
To  cap  all,  when  the  German  sailor  on  the  gangway 
seized  the  nose  of  our  boat,  two  of  my  crew  began  to 
quarrel  about  which  should  take  our  packages  aboard 
for,  of  course,  the  one  who  did  would  procure  a  tip; 
and  in  the  very  midst  of  all  the  sloshing,  pitching, 
and  bounding  from  the  steamer's  side  and  other  boats 
that  bumped  into  us  -  -  for  several  were  trying  to 
land  at  the  same  time  —  these  two  fellows  started 
a  first-class  fight,  pulling  each  other's  hair  and  clawing 
each  other's  faces.  Had  the  "Preussen"  sailor  not 
had  hold  of  our  boat  we  should  surely  have  capsized. 
I  snatched  our  bundles  from  the  bottom  of  the  boat, 
where  they  had  been  dropped  by  the  fighters,  threw 
them  on  to  the  gangway,  and  then  helped  the  ladies 
past  the  struggling,  pitching  natives.  The  German, 
waiting  till  the  ship  turned  toward  us,  reached  for  Mrs. 
Chamberlin's  hand  and  pulled  her  toward  him  as  she 
leaped  from  our  gunwale.  The  distanc<\  however, 
was  too  great,  and  our  careening  boat  was  too  uncer- 
tain, so  that  she  only  got  one  knee  on  the  gangway. 
That  splendid  German,  however,  held  her  (inn  and  in 
a  second  she  was  up.  Mrs.  Dalian  had  good  hick, 
as  our  calculations  were  better.  The  boys  and  I 
sprang  at  about  the  same  time  and  landed  in  one  heap; 
but  landed.  I  did  not  even  stop  to  see  the  end  of 
the  fight  but  hurried  for  Mrs.  Chamberlin  and  found 
her  white  and  weak,  suffering  from  mental  collapse, 
due  to  fright  and  great  pain;  for  her  right  leg,  which 
did  not  reach  the  gangway  when  she  tried  to  leap  aboard, 
had  swung  underneath  and  struck  the  nose  of  another 
boat  with  some  violence.  It  was  several  hours  before 
she  was  fully  revived,  and  as  many  days  before 
she  regained  her  accustomed  mental  poise. 

279 


CHAPTER   XIX 


THE  RED  SEA 


At  Aden,  iii  the  hotel,  we  had  carefully  inquired 
from  passengers  who  had  but  just  that  day  come 
through  the  Med  Sea,  as  to  the  weather,  and  their 
reports  were  very  encouraging  although  it  was  a 
frightful  story  they  told.  They  had  not  had  a  breath 
of  air  except  what  came  from  behind  them  —  which 
meant  that  they  had  none  at  all  —  although  they 
reported  that  the  wind  w^as  a  heavy  one.  That  was 
splendid  news  for  us,  as  it  would  give  us  a  strong 
headwind. 

Our  informants,  however,  had  had  a  terrible 
experience.  As  was  often  the  case  in  this  passage, 
lives  had  been  given  up.  There  was  no  sleep  to  be 
had,  and  passengers  lay  hour  after  hour  panting  for 
air,  trying  to  get  more  into  the  lungs,  slowly  stifling. 
Nobody  should  ever  make  the  trip  unless  there  is  a 
favoring  wind,  who  is  not  in  the  best  of  health. 

To  the  most  of  my  readers  I  assume  it  will  be  a 
surprise  when  I  say  the  Red  Sea  is  over  1200  miles 
long,  and  200  wide  through  much  of  its  length.  I 
know  I  had  deemed  it  but  a  small  pool  of  wTater,  when 
in  fact  it  is  about  half  as  long  again  as  the  journey 
through  our  own  Great  Lakes. 

The  whole  ship  was  agog  now,  for  which  I  was 
primarily  responsible.  We  wanted  to  visit  the  pyramids 
while  the  ship  was  passing  the  Suez  Canal.  The 
railroad  runs  from  Suez,  at  the  southern  entrance  to 
the  canal,  to  Cairo,  and  from  there  to  Port  Said  at  its 
northern  entrance.  From  the  time  of  arrival  at  Suez 
till  the  steamer  sailed  into  the  Mediterranean  from 
Port  Said  usually  twenty-four  hours  elapsed,  and  that 
was  all  we  needed  if  we  happened  to  arrive  at  Suez  at 
about  six  in  the  evening.     That  would  give  us  the  first 

280 


THE  RED  SEA 

half  of  the  next  morning  at  the  great  mounds.  It  was 
the  chance  of  a  lifetime,  for  most  of  us,  we  knew; 
and  we  wanted  to  go.  But  the  Captain  was  opposed. 
He  had  contracted  a  cold,  drunk  a  good  deal  of  port 
wine  and  become  surly;  and  he  didn't  want  to  do  any- 
thing, nor  did  he  want  anybody  else  to  do  anything: 
but  with  more  than  a  score  of  his  passengers  deter- 
mined to  go  if  possible,  we  felt  that  we  could  make 
him  toe  the  mark  if  we  only  reached  Suez  at  train  time, 
late  in  the  afternoon. 

If  regular  speed  were  maintained,  it  was  certain 
that  we  would  reach  Suez  at  noon  which  would  defeat 
us;    but  we  continued  to  lay  our  plans. 

My  diary  gives  fairly  the  story  of  our  next  several 
days : 

"Monday,  5th  Sept.  Last  night  first  after  leaving 
Aden  was  the  first  in  the  Red  Sea.  I  slept  with  no 
covering.  Good  breeze  blowing  and  not  uncomfort- 
able at  all.  Breeze  to-day  all  day  on  port,  not  at  all 
hot,  if  one  sits  where  the  breeze  is. 

"I  win  sweepstakes  to-day.  Really,  this  is  too 
easy  money,  28  marks.     Air,  91,  2-5°. 

"Tuesday,  6th  Sept.  Cooler  than  yesterday,  a 
little  too  cool  without  a  vest.  Having  headwind  and 
whitecaps.  Hotter  sun  at  7  a.m.  than  I  have  ever 
seen  at  noon-day.  Sun  would  bore  right  into  one's 
head. 

"Mrs.  C.  woke  up  yesterday  with  a  boring  forehead 
headache;  continues  to-day,  but  is  somewhat  abated. 
We  slept  in  No.  1  last  night  till  6  a.m.,  then  changed  to 
No.  2.     Air  88°. 

"Wednesday,  Sept.  7th.  Cool  last  night.  Very 
strong  wind  from  dead  ahead,  and  as  heavy  a  sea 
as  we  have  had  at  all  since  leaving  San  Francisco. 
Madame  -  was   almost   drowned    in   her    berth    at 

3  a.m.  last  night  by  a  big  wave  entering  the  port-hole 
and  flooding  even  the  upper  berth.  Much  of  her 
clothing  was  injured  and  the  shock  made  her  ill.  She 
was  sound  asleep  at  the  time.  She  told  Mrs.  C.  thai 
just   as   she   had    succeeded    in    pulling    her   wet    night 

281 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IX  NINETY  DAYS 

gown   over  head,  and   was   wrestling  to  get   her  head 
free  of  it  the  first  Steward  rushed  in  and  closed  the  port. 

"It  was  SO  eool  last  night  that  we  had  to  sleep 
with   our  sheets   on." 

My,  but  we  were  lucky! 

The  sun  of  Canton  is  not  to  be  compared  with 
the  sun  of  the  Red  Sea.  As  just  noted,  the  sun  over 
the  desert  at  7  a.m.  is  far  *more  scorching  than  any 
sun  1  have  ever  elsewhere  seen  at  noontime.  Nobody 
who  reads  this  would  seriously  consider  the  acceptance 
of  $50  to  stand  uncovered  for  three  minutes  in  the 
direct  rays  of  the  desert  sun.  The  great  ball  seems 
doubled  in  magnitude,  its  rays  trebled  in  intensity.  It 
is  the  only  sun  I  ever  saw  of  which  I  was  frightened, 
and  to  see  it  rise,  as  we  did,  over  the  brown  sands  of 
the  Arabian  desert,  without  a  living  thing  in  sight, 
animal,  man,  or  vegetable,  was  a  picture  never  to  be 
forgotten.  A  thousand  miles  to  the  eastward,  four 
thousand  to  the  westward,  that  terrible  power  had 
blasted  the  face  of  the  earth  so  that  nothing  created 
by  God  or  man  could  live  in  its  soil,  parched  it,  browned 
it"  till  it  was  the  great  waste  of  the  globe. 

The  heavy  head  wind  had  delayed  us,  bearing  us 
back  hour  by  hour,  and  we  were  jubilant.  We  were 
almost  sure  to  be  at  Suez  just  at  the  most  favorable 
time,  at  4  p.m.  Our  train  for  Cairo  would  leave  Suez 
at  5  p.m.,  arrive  at  Cairo  at  ten-forty  that  night,  where 
we  would  have  till  11.00  a.m.,  which  would  give 
us  ample  time.  This  would  place  us  at  the  Pyramids 
by  the  first  rays  of  the  great  sun  as  it  came  up  over 
the  desert,  an  experience  of  priceless  value,  and  we 
would  be  at  the  "Preussen"  in  Port  Said  at  5.50  p.m. 

Not  once  in  twenty  times  did  a  ship  leave  Port 
Said  under  twenty-four  hours  after  arriving  at  Suez; 
and,  besides,  the  regular  running  time  from  Port 
Said  to  Naples,  of  three  days  and  eight  hours,  a  certain 
factor  of  the  problem,  would  bring  us  at  the  latter 
port  by  midnight  if  we  left  Port  Said  at  six,  and  there 
was  no  use  in  getting  into  Naples  in  the  middle  of  the 

282 


THE  RED  SEA 

night.  Nobody  could  board  us  till  sunrise.  As  the 
Captain's  principal  argument  was  that  our  train 
might  be  late,  he  had  nothing  at  all  to  offer  in  opposi- 
tion when  it  was  called  to  his  attention  that  he  would 
lose  nothing  by  waiting  several  hours  for  us,  if  we  were 
tardy,  as,  if  the  ship  did  not  leave  Port  Said  till  ten 
that  night  (which  would  allow  our  train  from  Cairo  to 
be  delayed  four  hours  in  a  run  to  Port  Said  of  only 


Betty  and  her  Mother  disagree 

about   150  miles,  we  would  still  anchor  in  Naples  al    <i 
a.m.,  an  hour  too  early  for  any  medical  inspection. 

But  he  was  obdurate,  just  balky.  Thai  was 
all — just  wouldn't;  and  I  soon  found  thai  lie  was 
discouraging  the  project  in  casual  conversation  with 
passengers.  We  had  determined  to  appeal  to  the 
company's  agent  at  Suez  to  order  the  captain  to  wail 
for  us  at  Port  Said,  and  as  all  our  success  depended 

283 


ABOUND   THE  WORLD   IN   NINETY  DAYS 

upon  tin*  unanimity  with  which  we  made  our  demands, 
the  captain  was  pursuing  very  shrewd  tactics  to  under- 
mine those  who  were  weak-kneed. 

At  four-ten  we  lay-to.  off  Suez,  a  mile  out.  The 
agent  was  at  our  side  as  the  anchor  dropped,  and  the 
Captain  promised  faithfully  to  propitiate  him  at  once, 
to  have  the  hitter's  steam  yacht  take  us  to  the  depot 
and  to  order  the  ship  to  await  at  Port  Said  up  to  seven 
or  eight  in  the  evening,  at  least. 

Here  we  had  a  close  medical  inspection  by  French, 
English  and  German  physicians  who  successively 
looked  at  every  passenger  of  each  class.  The  ladies 
were  examined  by  an  English  woman. 

The  pyramid  people  fretted  a  good  deal,  but  no 
word  came  down  to  us  from  the  Captain's  cabin,  till 
I  could  see  that  he  had  us  beaten.  We  could  not 
catch  the  regular  train  nor  arrange  for  a  special  before 
the  "Preussen"  would  be  away.  We  wrere  tricked  by 
the  sly,  fat  German.  It  was  the  great  disappointment 
of  the  trip. 

The  most  I  could  do  was  to  go  ashore  and  cable 
for  money  to  be  sent  to  Naples  and  the  agent  placed 
his  swift  launch  at  my  disposition  for  that;  and  of  all 
the  passengers  I  had  the  honor  of  being  the  only  one 
to  see  Suez.  It  is  a  small  place  in  the  sand,  half- 
European,  half-native,  with  a  large  building  for  canal 
offices,  a  mosque  and  rows  of  low  mud  houses.  The 
day  was  too  far  spent  to  admit  of  taking  any  pictures 
but  I  wras  in  the  land  of  the  turban,  the  sandal,  the 
long  cotton  robe,  the  veiled  faces  of  women,  the  land 
of  the  white  crescent  on  the  red  flag,  and  the  land  of 
the  red  fez.  My  companion  was  the  son  of  the  agent, 
who  was  also  the  German  consul,  and  we  could  only 
converse  in  French. 

Still,  —  no  vessel  flying  the  American  flag. 


284 


CHAPTER    XX 


FOUR  HOURS  IN    EGYPT 

At  seven-fifteen  in  the  evening  of  Thursday, 
Sept.  8th,  we  entered  the  Suez  Canal.  A  searchlight 
had  been  attached  forward,  and  this,  aided  by  those 
of  coming  vessels,  kept  the  waterway  and  banks  a 
broad  shaft  of  daylight  in  the  midst  of  the  night. 

I  had  been  informed  that  this  part  of  the  voyage 
would  be  tedious.  The  fact  was  quite  to  the  con- 
trary.    There  was  a  constant  interest,  natives  passing 


The  Train  and  Canal 

in  the  path  on  the  bank,  a  way  station,  a  vessel,  huge 
dredges,  a  whistling  train  not  over  a  hundred  yards 
away  and,  in  the  morning  the  rising  of  the  sun  over  the 
desert,  a  ferry  at  which  waited  several  hundred  camels 
—  a  great  caravan  from  the  interior  of  Arabia  a 
passing  pair  of  porpoises,  the  only  free  users  of  the 
canal  —  a   small   expediiton    of    half   a    dozen    stately 

285 


ABOUND  THE  WORLD  TN  NINETY  DATS 


A   Sail   in  the  Cental 


Canal  Station  thirteen  miles  from  Port  Said 


286 


FOUR  HOURS  IX  EG  YI'T 

camels  moving  steadily  beside  us,  their  Long-robed 
masters  leading  them  by  a  single  line,  on  the  way  to 
Port  Said. 

We  had  a  quick  passage,  fifteen  and  one-half 
hours  for  the  one  hundred  miles;  paying  the  canal 
company  some  $10,000  for  the  privilege;  and  at  ten 
in  the  morning  we  were  running  by  the  wharves  of 
Port   Said,   which  appeared   to  be   a  large  city.     The 


To  Coal  Us 


principal  building  is  that  of  the  Canal  Company,  a 
large,  Oriental  affair,  on  the  water  front,  where  every- 
thing looks  quite  European.  The  native  establish- 
ments are  further  inland. 

The  famous  de  Lesseps  statue  stands  al  the  very 
entrance  to  the  canal  and  can  be  seen  from  any  poinl 
on  the  water  front. 

The  small  row  boats,  with  white  cloth  tops,  were 


287 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IN  NINETY  PAYS 

bidding    for    our    patronage.     Here    again,    England 

controlled,    and    we    all    knew,    in    advance,    just    what 
the  charffe  would  be  for  such  service. 

For  many  years  Porl  Said  was  famous  as  one  of 
the  most  immoral  of  places;  but  the  old  life  is  fast 
disappearing,  and  now  one  sees  no  worse  photographs 
in  the  windows  there  than  are  freely  posted  in  Paris 
show  windows,  and  one  may  wander  about  in  any 
part  of  the  place  with  as  much  safety  as  in  Boston. 

This    was    the    last    stop    where     we     could     buy 


A  Passing    Cart 

African  goods,  and  to  save  time  we  employed  a  native 
with  a  red  fez  who  talked  English  and  wore  a  Cook's 
sign  on  his  hat.  The  ladies  wanted  to  see  laces,  rugs 
and  silks.  I  was  looking  for  armor,  and  we  were  in 
a  shop  that  held  what  we  desired  before  we  had  been 
in  Egypt  three  minutes.  The  business  section  of  the 
town  is  not  over  four  blocks  in  extent.  The  streets 
are  wide  and  smooth  in  asphalt.  Everybody  speaks 
English  and  a  swarm  of  hangers-on  asking  to  carry 
your  purchases  dog  every  step,  so  persistently  that  the 

288 


FOUR  HOURS  IN  EGYPT 

police  have  to  drive  them  away.  As  soon  as  any 
purchase  was  made,  a  native  seized  it  and  attached 
himself  to  our  retinue,  with  the  explanation  that  he 
was  the  guide's  brother.  At  the  next  acquisition, 
another  boy  joined  us,  a  brother  to  the  second  one, 
and  inside  of  twenty  minutes  I  found  myself  walking 
along,  followed  by  six  brothers.  They  were  the  most 
importunate  beggars  I  ever  saw  and  it  was  impossible 
to  shake  them  off  except  by  main  force.  I  finally 
seized  everything  they  had  that  belonged  to  us,  gave 


The  Water  Carrier 

it  all  to  one  boy  and  had  a  native  policeman  shoo  oil' 
the  others. 

I  was  offered  a  score  of  pieces  of  strange  arms 
and  armor,  —  splendid  hand-carved  blades  with  young 
crocodile-skin  scabbards;  snake-skin  scabbards,  a 
Zulu  shield,  an  inlaid  ivory  and  ebony  Arabian  (lint- 
lock;  daggers;  a  crocodile's  head  full  of  pislols 
and  large  knives,  for  $65.  A  Jap  exhibited  the 
various   pieces,   telling   me    that    sonic   were    counter- 

289 


ABOUND  THE  WORLD  IN  NINETY  HAYS 

frits,  explaining  how  one  could  tell.  In  this  way  he 
obtained  my  confidence  and  he  had  little  difficulty  in 
selling  me  a  number  of  pieces  which,  to  my  delight, 
were  richly  inlaid  with  silver.  That  evening,  when 
Madame   K  examined  my  prizes  with  her  thumb- 

nail 1  was  aghast  at  seeing  that  the  inlaid  work  rubbed 
off'  with  little  difficulty.  It  was  all  painted  on!  A 
dozen  pieces,  the  best  I  had,  are  now  a  constant  re- 
minder of  how  a  cute  little  Jap  got  the  best  of  me, 
so  I  think  I  shall  give  them  all  away  some  day  to  avoid 
becoming  angry  so  often. 


Just  ready  to  run 

As,  however,  I  paid  but  $35  —  about  half  his 
price  —  and  what  I  secured  could  not  be  duplicated 
in  America  at  all,  it  was  not  altogether  bad. 

Rugs  here  were  so  cheap  as  to  frighten  an  Ameri- 
can. For  $10  a  beautiful  one  could  be  had,  and  for 
$50  a  marvel. 

At  noon,  practically  all  of  our  ship  friends  in- 
vaded the  Continental  Hotel,  a  European  place,  with 
tables  outside,  the  only  first-class  hotel  which  the  town 
could  claim. 

Here  one  of  the  ladies  of  our  party  had  an  ex- 

290 


FOUR  HOURS  IN  EG  YPT 

perience  that  will  make  her  cautious  hereafter.  At 
her  request  I  had  asked  the  European  gentleman  who 
appeared  to  be  the  manager,  to  have  her  shown  to  a 
room  in  which  she  could  remove  some  of  the  smooches 
from  her  face,  before  dining.  He  was  very  anxious 
to  accommodate.  I  left  them  walking  up  the  stair- 
way. When  she  returned  she  was  somewhat  whiter 
than  when  I  had  last  seen  her,  upon  which  J  com- 
plimented her.  Her  pallor,  however,  was  not  due 
to  her  ablutions,  and  her  voice  was  unsteady.  I 
soon    learned    the    story.     She    had    accompanied    this 


41 


Parasol  made  for  two 

fine,  obsequious  gentleman  to  a  room,  the  door  of 
which  he  opened  for  her,  and,  as  she  entered,  he  en- 
deavored to  do  so,  too.  She,  however,  was  too  quick, 
and  he  then  opened  one  opposite,  went  in  himseli 
and  upon  her  refusal  to  follow,  tried  to  push  her  inside 
the  door.  Thoroughly  aroused,  and  being  strong, 
she  eluded  him  and  ran  down  to  us.  I  was  in  a  quan- 
dary what  to  do  with  that  fellow,  but  finally  concluded 
to  do  nothing.  Any  disturbance  might  cause  us  to 
lose  the  steamer. 

291 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  TN  NINETY  DAYS 

After  dinner,  the  two  English  Singapore  boys 
—  who  had  never  seen  their  own  country  -and  I 
hired  donkeys  and  started  to  do  the  town.  Each 
donkev  had  an  owner  who  ran  after  us  as  fast  as  lie 
could.  The  saddles  were  built  up  very  high  —  as  all 
heathen  saddles  are  and  the  little  beasts  kicked  up 
at  the  slightest  provocation 

We  first  visited  the  de  Lesseps  statue,  a  very 
impressive  work  of  good  artistic  merit.  Upon  its 
base  lay  sleeping  a  number  of  natives,  and  others 
were  stretched  out  upon  the  stone  pier. 


Our  Mounts 


The  Creator  never  intended  that  one  man  should 
do  two  such  vast  works  as  Suez  and  Panama. 

Now  we  scurried,  with  many  kickings  and  bolt- 
ings from  our  jack-rabbits,  who  were  hard-bitted  as 
the  Old  Scratch,  into  the  native  town. 

It  was  hard  work  to  secure  pictures  of  the  women. 
They  fled  from  my  kodak  like  so  many  wild  birds 
at  the  sight  of  a  hound;  but  several  shots  I  procured 
by  strategy.  I  lulled  their  subjects  into  security  by 
appearing  to  be  oblivious  of  their  proximity  and  then 

292 


To  de  Lesseps 


/ 


- 

Hi e  Landing 


Fairly  Caught 


A    Yankee  excites  interest 


F  0 1  rB  HO  I  'RS  IN  E  G  YP  T 

suddenly  whirled  on  them  and  made  an  instanteaneous 
exposure  before  they  awakened. 

We  entered  a  Mosque.  The  building  was  of 
wood,  entirely  devoid  of  furniture  of  any  kind  and 
with  a  stone  floor  of  various  colors.  As  we  passed  the 
door  an  attendant  slipped  straw  heelless  slippers  over 
our  shoes,  a  man  who  appeared  to  be  a  priest  took  us 
into  a  small  room  to  the  right  of  where  the  pulpit 
ought  to  have  been,  closed  the  door,  showed  us  a  book 
he  said  was  "Koran,"  a  rather  untidy  Egyptian  flag, 
a  rug  or  two  —  prayer  rugs,  I  take  it  —  held  out  his 
hand  and  said  "pay."  I  paid  him  a  dime,  or  some 
silver  piece  about  that  size;  but  he  expostulated  and, 
of  course,  secured  double  the  amount  and  he  was  still 
begging  when  I  opened  the  doors  and  showed  the  boys 
out.  Our  straw  slippers  came  off  every  yard,  so  that 
I  finally  abandoned  them  where  they  fell,  and  made 
for  the  open  air,  the  priest  at  my  elbow  and.two  or  three 
others  extending  their  hands,  touching  my  clothing, 
begging  "Backsheesh!  Backsheesh!"  Some  more 
money  was  paid  at  the  door  to  the  boys  who  had  fur- 
nished us  with  the  straw  slippers,  and  we  were  free  of 
all  save  the  execrations  of  the  priest. 

Our  attendants  complained  by  signs  that  we  were 
running  them  too  hard,  in  the  sun,  while  the  tempera- 
ture was,  I  learned,  fully  90°,  and  we  therefore  moder- 
ated our  pace. 

The  native  town  was  all  low;  the  shops  out  of 
doors  under  wide  awnings;  sun  dried  clay  evidently  com- 
posing the  most  popular  building  material  Through 
the  main  thoroughfare  ran  horse-cars  started  ami 
stopped  by  a  tin  horn,  I  believe. 

At  the  hotel  we  discharged  our  donkeys,  I  wo 
porters  brought  my  armor,  our  rugs,  etc.,  and  then, 
beside  the  canal,  we  stopped  our  party  for  the  picture 
on  the  following  page.  The  smaller  pieces  of  my 
armor  are    shown    on    the   native. 

In  that  picture,  on  the  extreme  left  you'll  notice  ;i 
forearm,  extending  a  glass  toward  somebody  in  our 
party. 

2!I3 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IX  NINETY  DATS 


Some  of  my  Armor 


We  enter  the  Mediterranean 

294 


FOUR  HOURS  IN  EGYPT 

That  cost  the  Chamberlin  family  $5.00,  and  a 
native  made  a  profit  of  at  least  $4.50. 

Mrs.  C.  was  charmed  with  the  brass  pot  from 
which  the  drink  vendor  had  poured  his  beverages, 
and  it  took  a  sovereign  to  get  it  into  my  possession. 
In  only  two  hours  it  was  discovered  that  the  thing  was 
a  fake  of  the  worst  kind,  and  had  not  an  ounce  of  brass 
in  it,  but  was  mere  lacquer.  We  place  the  pot  beside 
the  fifty-cent  stein  we  purchased  of  the  kind  smoking- 
room  steward  of  the  "Preussen"  for  $3.00 — which 
he  said  he  would  sell  to  nobody  else  at  any  price.  He 
was  surely  telling  the  truth;   but  he  was  unaware  of  it. 

But  at  last  we  were  aboard.  A  final  fight  was 
had  with  Cook's  man,  through  no  fault  of  his,  and  then 
we  were  where  we  could  be  cheated  no  more. 

Promptly  at  three  we  steamed  toward  the  Medi- 
terranean.    We  had  turned  the  corner. 


295 


CHAPTER   XXI 


THE   MEDITERRANEAN 


In  an  hour  from  the  time  we  Left  Port  Said  we 
passed  from  the  tropical  country  of  Egypt  with  its 
temperature  of  1)0°  to  the  temperate  zone,  with  the 
glass  showing  only  65°.  For  the  first  time  in  fifty 
davs  we  were  out  of  the  tropics,  and  I  tell  you  the 
change  was  welcome.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  I  were 
years  younger.  The  dangers  that  had  beset  the 
wonderful  woman  who  had  said  she  would  go  with 
me  until  she  dropped  down,  were  over,  and  the  bracing 
air  of  the  new  sea  into  which  we  were  now  entering 
brought  color  to  her  cheeks  and  a  quick  energy  to  her 
Magging  spirits. 

At  five  that  evening  we  were  in  plain  sight  of 
Alexandria,  that  ancient  city  of  strange  history. 

Now  we  prepared  for  debarkation.  This  was 
Friday  evening;  Monday  morning,  early,  we  should 
be  in  sight  of  Italy  and  Sicily,  and  that  night  we  would 
drop  anchor,  our  long  journey  in  the  good  "Preussen" 
at  an  end,  under  the  dark  form  of  Vesuvius. 

Here  came  the  problem  of  more  baggage,  for  in 
addition  to  my  armor  we  had  purchased  one  of  those 
steamer  chairs.  The  ship's  carpenter  built  me  a  box, 
and  the  second  officer  promised  to  transfer  the  chair 
and  evervthino;  but  our  dress  suit  cases  to  an  Atlantic 
liner  at  Southampton.  Across  the  continent  we  would 
take  but  hand-baggage.  Our  other  belongings  now 
were  three  large  trunks,  the  sailor  bag  and  the  Canton 
china.  For  a  couple  of  dollars  I  insured  the  whole 
lot  for  several  hundred  and  worried  no  more. 

About  nine-thirty  in  the  evening,  first  night  out, 
I  noted  a  new  face,  whose  owner  promenaded  our 
deck,  speaking  to  nobody,  but  looking  at  us  all.  He 
scowled  continuously,  and  looked  so  unfavorable  that 

29fi 


THE  MEDITERRANE.  1 N 

I  called  an  officer's  attention  to  him  and  soon  we  had 
a  story  that  was  the  prize  tale  of  all  our  journey. 

At  the  evening  concert,  which  we  had  not  attended, 
a  young  Dutchman,  one  of  our  cabin  passengers  from 
Java,  had  in  a  spirit  of  fun  run  to  the  deck  below, 
where  the  band  was  playing,  inverted  an  umbrella 
and  held  it  up  for  the  cabin  passengers  to  drop  con- 
tributions into,  while  he  imitated  an  Italian  organ 
grinder;    and  I  guess  he  did  it  very  well. 

At  any  rate,  when  the  officer  interviewed  our 
scowling  passenger  he  obtained  the  information  that  the 
visitor  was  searching  for  the  young  performer  to  chal- 
lenge him  to  a  duel  on  the  ground  that  the  Dutchman 
had  insulted  the  Italians  aboard,  and  their  nation. 

It  may  be  imagined  that  our  deck  was  soon  cleared 
of  the  gentleman's  presence,  and  after  a  hearty  laugh 
we  supposed  the  incident  closed;  but  the  next  day 
the  Dutchman  received  a  note  stating  that  if  he  set 
foot  on  shore  at  Naples  or  Genoa  he  would  be  stabbed. 
He  remained  on  the  "Preussen"  at  Naples,  the  only 
passenger  who  did,  while  everybody  else  went  out  to 
see  the  town;  and  I  have  no  doubt  he  did  likewise  at 
Genoa. 

"Saturday,  10th  Sept.  Very  cool  last  night. 
Covered  myself  with  steamer  rug.  Packed  up  curios 
to-day.     .Worked  several  hours  on  report.     Air  77°. 

"Sunday,  11th  Sept.  Very  cool  last  night. 
Covered  with  steamer  rug.  Thunder-storm  in  early 
a.m.  Went  into  ladies'  cabin  to  save  a  sparrow-like 
bird  from  the  cat.  There  were  two  of  these  very  small 
birds  in  the  cabin.     Air  74°." 

The  next  morning  we  were  in  sight  of  Italy  at 
seven  o'clock.  Its  huge  mountains  towered  to  the 
sky,  and  soon  those  of  Sicily  came  up  upon  the  port 
side.  Then  was  the  passage  of  the  narrow  Straits  of 
Messina,  with  the  land  only  half  a  mile  away  on  either 
hand. 

All  day  I  worked  hard  on  my  Philippine  report, 
the  air  bracing  me,  my  nerves  thrilling  with  the  joy  of 
the  coming  deliverance,  the  temperature  only  74°. 

297 


AROUND    I  Hi:  WOULD   IN   NINETY  DAYS 

At  noon  we  passed  Stromboli,  from  which  issued 
a  wreath  of  white  steam  that  showed  it  was  still  of  the 
living. 

Now  a  serious  question  arose  and  that  was  the 
tipping  of  the  various  stewards  and  other  employees 
of  the  ship.  To  my  surprise  I  learned  that  they  were, 
even  np  to  the  highest  officers,  paid  but  pitiful  sums, 
and  the  situation  was  just  this:  that  if  we,  the  passengers 
did  not    pay  them,  they  would  receive  practically  noth- 


Stromboli 

ing.  The  band,  we  learned,  was  a  voluntary  affair, 
and  for  its  services  the  company  paid  not  a  cent. 

Here,  then,  was  a  large  expense  for  wThich  this 
family,  surely,  had  not  made  provision.  Of  course 
we  expected  to  tip  everybody.  But  we  did  not  antici- 
pate the  assumption  of  the  wages) of  practically  every 
servant  with  whom  we  came  in  contact. 

The  "chits"  which  we  had  signed,  for  the  various 

298 


THE  MEDITERRANEAN 

departments,  were  sedulously  kept  separate,  so  that 
when  we  were  ready  to  pay,  we  had  to  see  the  head 
steward,  the  baggageman,  the  carpenter,  the  smoking- 
saloon  steward,  the  bathroom  steward,  etc.,  etc.,  all 
separately.  As  a  rule  the  passengers  donated  fully 
$30  a-piece  for  tips.  I  refused  here.  It  was  a  species 
of  misrepresentation  to  advertise  passage  to  Europe 
for  a  certain  sum  and  then  in  addition,  and  without 
your  knowledge,  rely  upon  you  to  pay  the  wages  of 
the  people  whose  services  the  company  had  contracted 
to  afford  you  free.     I  balked,  and  gave  away  $15. 

The  wages  this  great  boastful  company  pays  is  a 
disgrace.  They  do  not  average  "more  than  half  what 
similar  employees  receive  on  American  ships,  and  the 
German  custom  leads  to  an  exhibition  of  fawning, 
hypocrisy  and  a  degree  of  subserviency  that  was 
often  disgusting. 

Everybody  owed  everybody  else.  I  suppose  I 
had  borrowed  money  at  various  times  of  over  a  score 
of  the  passengers.  As  many  had  certainly  done  so 
of  me.  Where  there  were  so  many  strange  coins 
that  were  good  in  one  port  and  bad  in  another,  every- 
body had  to  help  anybody  who  was  temporarily 
stranded.  Then  miscalculations,  sudden,  unexpected 
purchases  and  no  opportunity  to  secure  remittances, 
all  combine  to  abet  a  common  use  of  all  the  money  on 
board,  no  matter  to  whom  it  belonged.  But  nobody 
lost  anything.  My  family  were  in  debt  over  $75  until 
we  arrived  in  America,  and  I  am  not  yet  paid  all  that 
was  owed  to  us;   but  all  of  it  is  good. 

Dinner  that  last  evening  was  a  gala  affair,  such 
as  obtains  the  last  night  in  a  German  Atlantic  liner, 
with  profuse  decorations,  procession  of  Chinese  lan- 
terns around  the  dining-room,  special  music,  and  a 
notable  menu. 

As  the  darkness  came  on,  far  up  in  the  air,  on  the 
starboard,  at  intervals  of  a  minute,  with  a  variation 
of  less  than  ten  seconds,  a  red  light  appeared,  such  as 
one  would  have  expected  to  see  coining  from  a  large 
lighthouse. 

299 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IS  NINETY  DAYS 

"Vesuvius!  Vesuvius!"  the  old  travelers  ex- 
claimed;  l>ut  it  did  not  seem  possible.  So  regular 
were   the   recurrences   thai    it   seemed   hardly   possible 

that  so  huge  an  inanimate  tiling  as  Vesuvius  could 
send  out  into  the  black  night  this  bright  light,  and  for 
several  hours  the  ship's  company  were  divided  on  the 
matter.  Old  travelers  could  not  speak  with  author- 
ity, as  uone  present  had  ever  seen  the  volcano  alive. 
Hut  they  were  correct,  and  we  were  to  visit  Naples 
when  Vesuvius  was  in  eruption,  the  first  time  in  thirty 
years!      More    good  fortune! 

Soon  Naples  came  out  of  the  blank  that  lay  before 
us.  and  the  scene  was  very  beautiful.  The  city  com- 
mences at  the  water's  edge  and  extends  up  the  steep 
slopes  of  a  high  hill,  even  to  the  very  summit,  which 
latter  is  surmounted  by  a  huge  castle-like  structure 
that  adds  a  fitting  crown  to  the  giant  formation  upon 
which  it  rests.  Along  these  slopes,  long  lines  of  street 
lamps  hung  like  glittering  pendants  from  necklaces 
that,  one  above  the  other,  had  been  thrown  around  the 
hill,  while  gleaming  bars  from  a  thousand  windows 
on  the  sea  level  painted  the  waters  of  the  bay,  and  a 
myriad  of  blazing  port  holes  and  hundreds  of  green, 
red  mid  white  signal  lamps  told  where  the  great  ships 
lay,  pulling  softly  at  their  moorings. 

It  was  the  Hay  of  Naples. 

At  exactly  twelve,  midnight,  our  heavy  anchor 
splashed  into  the  waters,  six  hours  in  advance  of  the 
time  calculated  when  we  left  China  on  the  other  side 
of  the  world.  What  marvellous  things  men  can  now 
do.  Fifty  years  ago  no  estimate  could  have  been 
made  nearer  than  several  weeks  of  the  date  of  the 
completion  of  such  a  voyage,  aye,  even  months.  In 
those  days  it  wTas  guess  and  not  calculation. 


300 


CHAPTER    XXII 


VESUVIUS 


In  the  early  morning  we  arose  to  see  the  sun  come 
up  behind  Vesuvius,  and  not  long  after  we  were  sere- 
naded by  minstrels  of  both  sexes,  on  port  and  star- 
board, singing  to  the  accompaniment  of  guitars  and 
tambourines,  —  an  invariable  experience  for  travelers 
landing  at  this  port. 

We  had  already  decided  upon  the  Grand  Hotel 
de  Londres,  and  one  of  its  couriers  took  care  of  our 
baggage,  a  service  for  which  the  hotel  made  an  out- 
rageous charge  of  $2.00. 

After  putting  our  baggage  through  the  custom 
house  in  ten  minutes,  I  made  a  hasty  visit  to  the  bank, 
where  I  discovered  that  the  money  for  which  I  had 
cabled  for  from  Suez  had  not  arrived.  I  was  told  at 
the  steamship  office  that  my  cable  from  Singapore 
for  reservations  on  the  "Kaiser  Wilhelm  II."  had  been 
received  and  my  request  had  been  acceded  to. 

It  was  the  morning  of  Tuesday,  the  thirteenth  of 
September.  "The  Kaiser  Wilhelm"  II.  was  to  leave 
Bremen  just  a  week  later,  and  it  was  necessary  for  us 
to  arrive  in  that  city  [the  night  of  the  nineteenth.  There- 
fore, we  had  seven  days  for  Europe.  We  wanted  to 
visit  Naples,  Rome  and  Venice,  and  ride  through 
Switzerland  by  day,  and  clown  the  Rhine  by  steamer. 

On  the  "Preussen"  I  had  studied  out  all  the 
trains  and  as  there  was  no  time  allowed  for  unexpected 
delays,  I  "'decided  to  try  Cook's  agency.  Railroad 
officials  will  often  tell  you  flat  falsehoods  about  con- 
nections, through  trains,  etc.,  etc.  To  travelers  who 
will  use  Cook's  system  when  it  is  needed,  the  institu- 
tion is  a  wonderful  convenience.  In  the  first  place 
you  can,  in  one  neat  little  book,  secure  all  the  railroad 
transportation  you  will  need  in  all  the  countries  in  which 

301 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IS  NINETY  DAYS 

you  will  travel.  Moreover,  your  trains  are  all  ex- 
plained, and  a  wire  ahead  to  any  station  where  you 
intend  to  stop  brings  a  Cook's  agent  to  meet  you  at 
the  train.  He  takes  charge  of  everything;  transfers 
your  baggage,  tips  those  who  should  be  tipped,  selects 
the  best  seats  for  you  in  the  ears,  takes  you  to  see  just 
what  you  want  to  see,  superintends  all  your  money 
transactions,  your  necessary  purchases  —  things  which, 
when  you  know  not  a  word  of  the  languages  and  can- 
not tell  one  piece  of  money  from  the  other,  make  the 
difference  between  insufferable  annoyance  and  sere- 
nity. —  and  for  all  this  you  tip  him  nothing  or  any- 
thing, as  you  please.  Furthermore,  there  is  always 
the  satisfaction  of  feeling  that  you  are  in  safe  hands; 
and  that  in  Europe  is  often  a  great  relief. 

We  finally  decided  to  ignore  Venice  and  spend 
more  time  in  Naples  and  Rome. 

The  first  thing  on  our  program  was  Vesuvius. 
We   probably  should  never  again  see    it    in  eruption. 

Cook  owns  the  railroad  up  the  volcano.  (The 
round  trip  tickets  were  $4.20  each.) 

To  reach  this  railroad  of  Cook's  one  has  to  ride 
for  an  hour  through  the  streets  of  Naples  to  the  out- 
skirts; and,  as  some  of  these  streets  are  paved  in 
cobble  stones  the  journey  is  not  altogether  delightful. 
To  add  to  our  discomfort  a  begging  boy,  running  be- 
side the  barouche  in  which  one  of  our  boys  and  Madame 
K—  -  were  seated,  snatched  at  a  golden  locket  that 
hung  from  her  neck.  All  he  accomplished,  however, 
was  the  breaking  of  the  frail  chain;  for  the  lady  was 
too  quick  for  him.  The  incident,  however,  frightened 
her  so  much,  that  she  could  enjoy  little  for  the  remainder 
of  the  day  and  did  not  dare  go  up  to  the  crater. 

Neapolitan  homes  have  their  gardens  in  the  rear, 
glimpses  of  which,  with  their  regular  walks,  sym- 
metrically cut  hedges  and  classic  statuary  one  may 
procure  through  the  courts  that  lead  from  the  street. 

We  are  not  favorites  of  the  Italians,  we  Ameri- 
cans, by  any  means,  if  my  judgment  of  the  scowls 
cast  upon  us  is  well  founded.     Beggar  boys  assailed 

302 


VESUVIUS 


us,  running  by  our  carriages,  for  long  distances,  turn- 
ing handsprings  until  in  sheer  pity  we  gave. 

Arrived  at  the  railroad  station,  we  seated  our- 
selves vis-a-vis  in  an  open  electric  trolley  car,  - 
overhead  system.  The  track  led  through  miles  of 
vineyards  loaded  with  blue  and  white  grapes.  At 
several  points  the  grade  was  apparently  as  steep  as 
at  any  point  on  the  Mt.  Washington  railway. 

As    we    ascended    higher   and    higher   we    left   the 
vineyards    and    were    surrounded    by    hundreds    and 


From  the  Edge  of  Naples 

hundreds  of  acres  which  were  totally  buried  iu  lava. 
One  large  tract,  fully  a  mile  square,  I  judged,  was 
covered  by  the  1872  eruption  — the  last  great  one. 

Of  this  tract,  I  made  a  flying  shot  from  the  car 
window  as  we  whizzed  along. 

For  much  of  the  journey,  the  sum  mil  of  the  vol- 
cano was  in  full  view.  Almost  every  minute  a  puff  of 
smoke  was  blown  high  up  into  the  air.  Between 
these  the  smoke  was  entirely  dissipated. 

The  ladies  of  our  party  alighted  at  a  hotel  about 
half  way  to  the  summit. 

303 


ABOUND  THE  WOULD  IX  NINETY  DATS 


Twenty  Square  miles  of  Lara 


The  Cable  Line 
304 


VESUVIUS 

Arrived  at  the  base  of  the  dome  of  the  volcano, 
we  exchanged  our  electric  car  for  a  cable  car,  such  as 
is  used  at  Niagara  for  descent  to  the  Rapids.  The 
grade  here  was  fully  forty-five  degrees,  as  may  be 
seen  in  one  of  the  pictures.  The  fence-like  appear- 
ance running  up  the  side  of  the  slope  is  the  cable  line. 

In  perhaps  ten  minutes  we  were  at  the  highest 
point  to  which  this  car  ascended,  say  three  hundred 
yards  from  the  crater. 


Up  the  Line 


Immediately  upon  leaving  the  conveyance  we 
were  assailed  by  a  small  troupe  of  guides.  The  father 
of  them  all  informed  us  that  the  Italian  governmenl 
compelled  employment  of  official  guides,  and  that  the 
charge  was  fifty  cents  per  person. 

As  soon  as  we  were  divided  among  the  guides 
we  commenced  to  move  up  in  the  path  which  could 
be   seen  in  the  ashes.     The  walking  was  exceedingly 

305 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IX  NINETY  DAYS 

tiresome,  and  ;it  times  the  grade  was  very  steep. 
Hut  the  latter  was  of  little  consequence  when  compared 
with  the  inconvenience  to  which  the  yielding  ashes 
condemned  us.  Our  feet  sank  deep  into  the  soft, 
almost  flaky  soil,  and  much  of  each  step  would  be 
lost  by  sliding  back. 

I    secured    a    fortunate    picture'    that    will    illustrate 
what  I  have  just  described. 


The  Climb  to   the  Crater 


A  company  of  hangers-on  with  ropes,  canes  and 
chairs,  surrounded  us  and  plodded  along  near  at  hand 
patiently    waiting    till    somebody    should    tire. 

A  number  availed  themselves  of  these  aids, 
and  were  pulled  up  or  carried  up.  Two  cents  was  the 
munificent  reward  for  the  rental  of  a  cane  or  the  end 
of  a  rope  attached  to  the  Italian  gentleman  who  dragged 


one  along. 


306 


VESUVIUS 

When  within  what  appeared  to  be  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  of  the  crater,  from  which  the  smoke 
belched  forth,  we  were  halted,  and  told  that  nobody 
could  mount  higher. 

This  was  disappointing,  and  I  studied  the  situa- 
tion a  bit.  I  had  read  of  those  who  had  actually  looked 
down  into  the  crater,  and  here  we  were  fifty  feet  below 
it  —  and  close  to  it.  The  monster  breathed  regularly, 
usually  with  a  swish  that  was  much  like  the  sound  of 
escaping   steam.     At   times,    however,    the    column    of 


An  Easy  Breath 


smoke  would  rise  in  entire  silence. 

This  seemed  a  bit  tame,  and    1   deemed   it   ovei 
caution   or  an   itching  palm   that   kept   us    where    we 
were.     I    wanted    to    see    the    wheels    go    around 
wanted  to  look  down  into  the  crater. 

I  edged  my  guide  off  to  one  side. 

"Can't  you  take  me  up  to  the  crater? 
it  worth  your  while." 

"Can't  do  it,  sir." 

"Why  not?     What  is  to  prevent  yon  ? 

307 


1 


I'll   make 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IN  NINETY  DAYS 

"We  can't  do  it,  sir,  not  while  she's  like  she  is 
now." 

"  Oli,  pshaw!  There's  no  danger.  Look  at  thai  ?" 
as  a  silent,  black  breath  puffed  upward.  The  thing 
looked  as  calm  as  a  teakettle. 

" There  is  danger,  sir." 

"But  von  guides  go  uj>  there  every  day,  don't 
von,  to  see  just  what  the  conditions  are?  Why  can't 
we  go  up?"  I  regarded  my  knowledge  of  this  alleged 
fact  as  a  strong  lever. 

"No,  sir;  we  don't.  None  of  us  have  been  up 
farther  than  this  since  she  began  to  act  this  way  ten 
days  ago." 

"I'll  give  yon  ten  francs  ($2.00)  if  you'll  take  me 
up  there.  America  against  Italy!  Come  on!  I'll 
go  if  yon  will!" 

"I  would  not  do  it  if  you  would  make  it  a  hun- 
dred. If  we  went  and  were  injured,  you  would,  per- 
haps, go  on  to  America  in  a  day  or  so  and  be  just  as 
well  off  as  if  nothing  had  ever  happened,  but  I'd  lose 
my  position.  That  would  hurt  me  for  life.  Do  you 
see  why  we  do  not  go  any  nearer  the  top?" 

Nor  could  he  be  swerved.  He  kept  very  close 
to  me,  as  if  he  divined  the  thought  that  was  in  my 
mind  that  the  thing  to  do  was  to  make  a  break  for 
freedom.  Before  they  would  know  it,  it  seemed  to 
me,  I  could  cover  the  interval  that  separated  us  from 
the  crater. 

In  three  minutes  more  I  would  have  made  the 
effort.     But  good  fortune  favored  me. 

For  the  first  time  the  monster  did  not  breathe 
regularly.     He  was  holding  his  breath. 

"  Look  out !  Look  out !  Now  you  will  see !  When 
she  does  that  there  is  going  to  be  trouble!" 

About  one  hundred  seconds  later  the  giant,  im- 
patient, suddenly  spouted  up  with  an  angry  snort  a 
larger,  higher  column  of  smoke  than  any  we  had  yet 
seen,  accompanied  by  hundreds  of  pieces  of  lava  and 
rocks,  which  could  be  plainly  seen  as  they  ascended 
far  toward  the  sky.     Some  of  these  pieces  were  as  large 

308 


Green  and  White  Sulphur 


An  Angry  ohori 


Now  prepare  to  dodge 


Vicious 


VESUVIUS 

as  one's  head,  and  there  was  literally  a  shower  of  them 
as  they  descended  to  the  ground,  and  rolled  from  all 
sides  of  the  cone,  many  of  them  rattling  down  toward 
us.  That  column  of  smoke  was  at  least  fifty  feet  in 
diameter. 

"Now,    do   you    see?"    asked    the   guide,    with    a 
grim  smile. 


The  Site  of  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum 
Pompeii  is  in  the  Centre 

I  saw.  One  could  hardly  have  escaped  an  acci- 
dent had   he   been    in    that   shower  of    rocks. 

For  half  an  hour,  four  of  us  stood  our  ground  and 
photographed  these  explosions.  The  heavy  ones  were 
always  foretold  by  the  interrupted  breathing.  Upon 
a  number  of  occasions  the  rocks  came  so  near  that 
some  were  secured  as  souvenirs.     They   were   too  hoi 


30!) 


AROUND   THE  WORLD   IN  NINETY  DATS 

to  take  in  the  bare  hand,  and  readily  retained  impres- 
sions of  coins  that  were  pressed  upon  them. 

Moving  to  the  right  of  the  path,  we  came  upon  a 
number  of  holes,  perhaps  a  foot  in  diameter,  from 
which  hot  steam  or  smoke  was  escaping.  The  cinders 
around  these  openings  were  hot.  These  places  occurred 
frequently.  It  was  plain  that  we  were  standing  upon 
nothing  but  a  thin  shell,  pierced  in  many  places,  be- 
neath which  were  enormous  fires. 

Soon  we  were  in  sight  of  Pompeii  and  Hercu- 
laneum.  Pompeii  looked,  way  down  in  the  valley, 
like  a  deserted  burned  towu,  with  its  blackened,  fal- 
ling, ruined,  roofless  walls. 

Then  the  volcano  did  its  very  best  for  us,  and 
more  than  once  we  dodged  large  rocks  that  struck 
around  us.  I  secured  two  particularly  good  photo- 
graphs of  this  last  spouting.  Scores  of  rocks  are 
plainly  visible  in  them. 

The  exhibition  was  over,  and  I  am  willing  to 
admit  that  the  experience  looks  to  me  now  to  have 
been  too  full  of  risk  to  recommend  it  to  others  under 
the  conditions  then  obtaining. 

Who  could  tell  with  any  certainty  how  many 
rocks  were  going  to  be  hurled  into  the  air  when  that 
giant  breathed  again  —  how  far  they  would  be  thrown 
-  or  in  what  direction  ? 

Bv  seven  we  were  again  in  the  city. 

That  evening  we  retired  early,  and  at  ten  the 
next  morning  all  but  myself  of  the  six  members  of  our 
party  went  to  Pompeii.  The  best  I  could  do  was  to 
haunt  the  Bank  of  Italy,  where  I  expected  my  money 
to  be  cabled  at  any  moment.  At  two  in  the  afternoon 
it  came,  and  after  more  or  less  of  red  tape  I  had  it  in 
my  possession. 

At  seven  that  evening  we  left  for  Rome  and  had 
the  usual  experiences  of  passing  through  a  line,  on 
either  hand,  of  borrowing  servants,  extending  from 
the  hotel  desk  to  the  carriage  door,  waiting  for  a  tip. 
A  half-hour  was  consumed  in  weighing  our  baggage. 
Xo  baggage,   except   what   is   in  the  hands  is   carried 

310 


VESUVIUS 


free  over  Italian  roads  —  and  no  man  who  could  con- 
nect himself  in  any  way  with  the  unloading,  weighing 
and  loading  of  it  onto  the  train  failed  to  do  so  —  the 
most  of  them  needlessly.  Then  each  came  for  a  tip. 
Money  flowed  like  water. 


311 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


ROME 


At  Rome  we  arrived  at  twelve-thirty  at  night, 
after  five  hours  and  a  half  ride;  found  a  porter  await- 
ing us,  by  telegraphic  arrangement  between  our  late 
host  and  our  next  one;  and  our  advent  into  the  Eternal 
City  was  a  smooth  one. 

Here  we  put  up  at  the  "Modern  Hotel,"  which 
well  deserved  its  name;    a  first-class  place,  with  large, 


The  Wonder  of  the  World 


and    equipped 
$2.00    per   day 


elegant  rooms,  splendidly  furnished 
with  electric  lights  and  telephones  - 
for  two,  European  plan. 

Early    the    next    morning    the    porter,  —  who 
the  whole  thing  in  all  European  cities,  —  had  a  splen 
did  guide  for  us. 

312 


is 


The  Coliseum 


In  the  Arena 


Trevi  Fountain 


> 

*    2 


V  ■  ■ 


*   r  ^ 


->    —        ■>■-   :    ... —  ••r-;r~*. 
-  *—- -»  -^-i .r~~r  ^~  ""^^iRs    — i — 


Ifadrian's  Tomb 


ROME 

That  day  we  visited  the  Pantheon,  St.  Peter's, 
and  the  Vatican. 

St.  Peter's  is  the  wonderful  building  of  all  the 
world.  Where  other  famous  places  may  contain  one 
or  two  notable  scenes  or  works,  St.  Peter's  has  an 
hundred.  It  is  so  grand  that  one  is  thrilled  to  the 
very  soul,  and  made  all  atremble.  It  is  the  most 
stupendous  production  known  of  intelligence,  art  and 
total  disregard  of  cost.  A  day  is  all  too  short  a  time 
to  spend  within  its  vast  domain,  nor  is  one  visit  suffi- 
cient to  permit  its  comprehension  by  any  human  being. 
To  die  without  visiting  St.  Peter's  is  to  have  buthalf- 
lived. 

That  night  while  the  others  were  at  rest,  I  attended 
a  concert  by  a  military  band  in  one  of  the  public  squares. 

The  next  day,  Friday,  the  sixteenth,  we  were  at 
the  Coliseum. 

Then  we  hurried  to  the  garden  of  the  Knights  of 
Malta,  to  the  palace  of  the  King,  and  to  the  Quirinal 
the  Palace  of  the  Caesars. 

From  the  first  may  be  seen  a  picture  alone  worthy 
of  a  journey  from  America;  of  St.  Peter's  great  dome, 
seen  through  a  long,  narrow  lane  of  tall,  green,  shrub- 
bery, rising  over  the  roofs  of  the  city. 

The  royal  palace  is  a  combination  of  execrable 
and  excellent  taste.  This  surprised  me  much,  for  I 
had  supposed  that  art  in  the  royal  palace  of  Home 
would  be  beyond  criticism.  But  there  were  such 
attempts,  in  some  of  the  rooms,  to  blend  impossible 
colors  as  would  make  a  person  of  good  taste  stand 
aghast. 

In  Rome  we  did  little  purchasing,  as  we  had   no 
trunks.     But   do   as   well   as   we   could        <>r   would 
the  bundle  of  rugs  began  soon  to  assume  the  appear- 
ance of  an  inflated  balloon. 

Rome! 

As  you  stand  on  the  Palatine,-  the  palace  of 
the  Caesars,  —  and  follow  with  your  eye  the  way 
along  which  Caesar  was  borne  on  the  Ides  of  March; 
see  the  spot  where  he  fell,    -sec  where  his  body  was 

3 1 3 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  I X  NINETY  DAYS 


The  Garden  of  the  Knights  of  Malta 
314 


ROME 

buried,  —  see  all  the  great  Forum  under  your  very- 
feet,  with  the  Coliseum  beyond,  you  are  dead  to  emotion 
if  you  do  not  feel  something  that  never  before  entered 
your  life,  and  you  will  thank  God  that  you  lived  till 
this  came  to  you. 

Here,  under  your  very  feet,  is  the  scene  of  the 
working  out  of  a  great  problem,  the  problem  of  the 
progress  of  the  human  race.  Within  your  range  of 
sight  came  and  went  a  people  with  whom,  in  culture, 
in  poetry,  in  statesmanship,  in  art,  in  sculpture,  in 
architecture,  in  oratory,  in  the  power  to  produce  classic 
design,  our  great  American  people  is  as  a  babe.  And 
yet,  here,  in  heaps  of  shapeless  rocks,  broken,  fallen, 
neglected,  is  all  that  remains  to  show  that  the  Romans 
were  ever  a  living  people. 

Are  we,  in  all  our  strivings  to  approach  unto 
them,  but  traveling  the  road  that  leads  unto  the  abyss 
into  which  they  disappeared  ? 

Does  culture,  refinement,  art,  the  study  of  the 
gratification  of  the  sense  of  the  beautiful  lead  to  de- 
struction ? 

No  other  people  who  ever  were  on  this  planet 
approached  them  except  one — the  Greeks  —  and  both 
were  snuffed  out  as  is  a  candle  by  a  breath  of  wind 
—  leaving  no  posterity  worthy  of  the  name. 

How  did  they  fall  ? 

"I  can't,  I  can't  understand  it,"  is  what  I  said  as 
I  stood  overlooking  it  all. 

Rome  is  the  one  place  to  see  if  you  never  see  but 
one  again,  and  have  never  yet  looked  upon  il.  1 1  is 
an  exhaustless  mine  of  scenic  treasures.  And  whal 
an  atmosphere  in  which  to  live  and  work!  I  can  see 
how,  spurred  by  such  tremendous  history,  even  an 
average  man  would  there  become  able  to  write  or 
paint  something  immortal.  Some  message  would  surely 
come  to  him  from  those  who  lived  two  thousand  years 
ago  that  would  live  for  a   like  period  after  he  had  gone. 


3 1  5 


CHAPTER   XXIV 


THE  LAST  OF  EUROPE 


At  eight  Friday  evening,  the  sixteenth  of  Septem- 
ber, we  left  Koine  by  through  train  for  Milan. 

The  sleeping  cars  on  that  train  possessed  at  least 
one  advantage  over  those  of  our  country,  and  that 
was  a  stateroom  for  each  party  of  two  passengers 
and  this  at  no  extra  charge.  The  berths  also  were 
1 1  mch  wider  than  those  in  our  cars. 

At  Milan,  at  seven  in  the  morning,  Cook's  man 
met  ns  in  response  to  a  telegram;  transferred  our 
party  and  all  their  belongings  with  the  assistance  of 
porters,  to  our  next  train;  arranged  our  breakfast; 
and  did  everything  that  any  of  us  desired. 

Now  we  were  started.  We  were  to  cross  the  Alps 
by  daylight,  through  St.  Gotthard  tunnel,  ride  across 
Switzerland  all  day,  and  along  the  shores  of  Lake 
Lucerne  for  miles.  Our  next  stop  would  be  at  Frank- 
fort, about  ten  that  night.  On  Sunday  we  were  to  go 
down  the  Rhine,  on  the  boat  from  Mainz  to  Cologne; 
stop  there  over  night;  see  the  Cathedral  Monday 
morning  and  go  on  to  Bremen  Monday  afternoon,  as 
was  required. 

The  roadbed  was  smooth;  the  air  was  not  too 
warm;  and,  except  for  the  annoyance  at  Chiasso - 
the  Italian-Swiss  frontier,  where  all  baggage  had  to  be 
examined,  --  we  had  little  to  annoy  any  of  us,  except 
one  of  our  boys,  whose  stomach  had  revolted  and 
who  lay  in  suffering  patience  till  nature  would  give 
him  relief.  The  porter,  who  could  talk  French,  told 
me  that  the  next  station  was  Chiasso,  and  that  the  train 
would  wait  half  an  hour  to  permit  the  custom  officials 
to  investigate  everything. 

As   the    train   slowed,    I   hurried    Madame   K— 

316 


THE  LAST  OF   EUROPE 

and  our  English  guest,  Mrs.  Dalian,  to  the  platform, 
and  thence  after  what  we  felt  sure  was  our  baggage 
on  a  fast  disappearing  truck. 

Mrs.  C.  remained,  aboard  with  the  sick  boy  and 
his  younger  brother. 

An  Italian  gateman  tried  to  explain  something 
to  us,  as  we  passed,  but  as  we  did  not  know  a  word  of 
his  language  we  were  at  a  loss  to  understand,  shoved 
him  to  one  side,  and  proceeded.  But  we  could  find  no 
baggage,  no  custom  officers,  and,  bewildered,  we 
turned  in  time  to  see  the  train  disappearing  down  the 
track.  One  of  the  ladies  cried  that  we  were  left,  but  I 
pooh-poohed  the  suggestion  and  said  "They're  only 
going  down  to  back  upon  another  track,"  and'  felt  con- 
tent.     But     when     the     train     had     vanished     around 

the  curve,  I  became  alarmed.     Madame  K burst 

into  tears,  Mrs.  Dalian  was  almost  beside  herself  with 
excitement,  and  I  was  fairly  off  my  pins  for  a  moment. 
But  instantly  I  recollected  Mrs.  C.  She  could  handle 
any  situation  as  well  as  any  man,  and  J  knew  she 
would  do  the  right  thing.  What  was  that  ?  She  had 
no  tickets  and  no  money.  She  would  leave  the  train 
at  the  frontier. 

Now  we  wanted  somebody  who  could  talk  United 
States,  French  or  German.  The  employees  of  the 
depot  surrounded  us.  We  tried  our  three  languages 
on  them  but  with  no  result.  Finally  a  porter  of  an 
English  hotel  came  sauntering  in. 

"Where  are  we  ?" 

"  Lake  Como." 

Not  such  a  bad  place.  I  had  sufficiently  re- 
covered now  to  observe  to  my  trembling  companions 
that  I  always  wanted  to  slop  here,  anyhow.  Hi  it 
humor  was  not  popular.  J  had  fallen  from  my  little 
pedestal  with  a  vengeance,  for  sure,  in  their  excited 
estimations. 

The  porter  advised  wiring  to  Chiasso,  care  of 
the  conductor  of  our  Irian  to  tell  Mrs.  Chamberlin  l<» 
stop  there  with  all  our  baggage,  and  that  we  would 
follow  on  the  next   train,  which  would  leave  in  an   hour. 

317 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IX  NINETY  DATS 

That  we  did,  and  then  hiring  a  barouche  started  out 
to  see  t ho  town. 

After  a  five  minutes'  ride  through  narrow,  crooked 
streets  we  came  to  a  smooth  road  that  lay  within  ten 
Peel  of  the  water  and  evidently  encircled  the  entire 
Lake,  which  latter  looked  to  he  fnllv  twenty  miles  long 
by  two  or  three  wide.  The  lake  is  bounded  on  all 
sides  by  huge  hills,  fastened  to  whose  precipitous 
slopes  are  hundreds  of  expensive  homes  and  hotels. 

(lose  by  the  road  were  the  palaces  of  the  very 
wealthy,  with  splendid  flower  gardens.     A  more  charm- 


STRAPE  FERRATE  DEL  MED1TERRA.NE0 


TELEGRA3LMA  IN  TKAXSITO 


Slazionedi_  (CQMQ  S.G 


Jg&K  JJg^JpEg^ 


yXi^u, 


jfo.-.-j&. 


^th. 


T^T 


Cfsic^ 


aZ£—toib££---±*g>& 


~Mk 


!z^ 


f&u. a^- C&pf&f&&. 


^t 


ing  place  to  rest  I  have  never  seen,  and  this  with  such 
stories  as  my  worried  mind  could  evoke  kept  my  com- 
panions from  absolute  despair. 

Just  as  the  train  drew  up  and  we  were  stepping 
aboard  a  porter  rushed  to  me  and  handed  me  the 
above  message,  which  shall  ever  be  famous  in  the 
annals  of  our  family. 

At  Chiasso  we  found  her  on  the  platform.  All 
the  baggage  had  been  passed  by  the  officials,  and  was 
ready  to  be  put  on  our  train. 

318 


THE  LAST  OF  EUROPE 

She  had  had  her  hands  full.  For  an  instant,  she 
admitted,  she  was  dumfounded  when  she  realized 
what  had  happened,  but  the  sight  of  that  sick  boy 
aroused  her  and  she  began  to  work.  Appeal  was  at 
once  made  to  one  of  our  Dutch  friends  of  the  "Preus- 
sen,"  who,  as  luck  would  have  it,  was  aboard.  lie 
offered  her  a  handful  of  money.  In  the  meantime, 
however,  she  had  burglarized  the  hand-bags  of  the 
ladies  who  were  with  me  and  had  discovered  a  solitary 
sovereign  —  not  another  piece  —  large  or  small.  How- 
ever, that  was  something  —  and  with  that  she  felt 
better  and  was  able  to  decline  the  money  offered. 

Wasn't  that  just  like  a  Dutchman?  I  can  see 
him  now,  short,  stocky,  gray-haired,  putting  his  hand 
into  his  pocket,  without  a  moment's  hesitation  and 
offering  a  distressed  woman  every  dollar  he  had  with 
him.     May  all  the  Gods  ever  attend  him! 

At  Chiasso,  which  was  reached  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  she  put  off  the  boys  and  threw  at  them  through 
the  open  window  the  thirteen  pieces  of  hand-baggage 
which  we  carried,  and  a  lot  of  pink  and  white  garments 
which  should  not  be  mentioned  above  a  whisper,  for 
the  ladies  with  me  were  not  fully  dressed;  all  to  the 
great  amusement  of  her  scores  of  fellow-travelers  who 
had  alighted  to  pass  their  baggage.  Then  she  sought 
for  porters.  They  shied  at  such  a  strange  lot  of  bag- 
gage and  could  see  nothing  that  looked  like  a  tip 
for  their  services.  At  that  they  were  shown  the 
sovereign  and  miracles  were  worked.  Three  or  four 
attendants  almost  ran  their  legs  off  for  her,  and  best  of 
all  they  found  somebody  who  could  speak  French. 
After  that,  she  made  good  progress.  The  telegram 
was  sent  to  me.  The  baggage  was  placed.  Some 
refreshment  was  given  to  the  sick  boy,  and  she  gave  the 
sovereign  to  the  porters. 

It  was  a  good  job.  My  telegram  to  her  she  re- 
ceived after  our  arrival. 

This  incident  altered  our  plans.  The  unexpected 
thing   had    occurred    that    always    happens   on    SO   eoni- 


;;i'.i 


AROUND    THE   WOULD   IN   NINETY  DAYS 

plicated  a  trip  as  we  had  planned,  as  1  expected  it 
woul.l;   and  wo  bad  the  spare  time  to  remedy  it. 

[nstead  of  reaching  Frankfort  that  night,  we  could 
now  not  arrive  there  until  tin*  next  morning,  (Sunday); 
the  difference  being  a  Saturday  night  on  the  cars 
instead  of  at  the  Hotel  Bristol  at  Frankfort.  \ 

One  of  the  meanest  things  about  European  travel 
Is  the  prevalence  of  counterfeit  money.  It  will  be 
given  to  you  in  change  in  the  sleeping  cars,  in)  the 
dining   cars,    in    the   stores,   and    in   every   place   where 


Switzerland 


you  have  a  right  to  trust  those  in  charge.  It  is  evident 
that  the  natives  have  been  waiting  some  time  for  an 
American  to  come  along  so  that  they  may  unload  some 
of  the  mistakes  they  have  made  onto  their  guests. 
The  dining  car  porter  worked  two  bogus  lire  pieces 
(fifty  cents)  onto  me  between  Naples  and  Rome,  and 
I  gave  it  to  a  porter  there  who  lied  to  me.  By  the 
wonderful  bow  he  made,  I  knew  that  he  had  not  dis- 
covered my  error  when  I  left  the  city. 

320 


THE  LAST  OF  EUROPE 

On  our  journey  to  Frankfort  we  wended  our  way 
in  and  out  through  the  defiles  of  the  Alps,  then  dove 
under  them  and  came  out  in  Switzerland,  the  land  of 
sky-farms,  of  thrift  and  peace.  That  is  the  impression 
one  secures  from  Switzerland-  the  content  and  at- 
tractiveness of  the  simple  lives  of  its  people. 

I  doubt  if  any  busy  American  ever  went  there 
without  feeling  that  he  was,  in  all  the  hurly-burly 
of  his  fighting,  racing  career  —  throwing  his  life  away. 
Everybody  who  visits  Switzerland  must  want  to  tarry 
there. 

It  is  all  that  has  been  claimed  for  it.  It  will 
never  disappoint  you,  no  matter  what  description  of 
it  you  may  have  read. 

Hurrying   through   it,   as   we   did,   at   thirty   miles 
an  hour,  it  was  a  succession  of  beautiful   pictures, 
the  sun  flashing  on  a  lake;    a  snow-covered  crag  above 
us;    a   river  winding  beneath;    five   miles   length   of  a 
notch  in  the  great  hills  in  view  for  half  a  minute. 

Night  found  us  at  Basle,  where  we  ate  dinner  in 
a  barroom  and  then  took  a  train  for  the  night  ride  to 
Frankfort.  At  5  a.m.  we  alighted,-  without  paying 
the  porter  for  our  berths,  as  he  could  not  make  the 
change,  directing  him  to  see  us  in  the  depot. 

But  he  did  not  obey,  and  I  congratulated  myself 
that  we  had  at  last  beaten  somebody  in  Europe,  even 
if  it  was  a  party  with  no  more  soul  than  a  railroad 
company. 

But  there  was  no  such  luck.  Tliat  evening  when 
we  took  the  train  for  Cologne,  Mr.  Toiler  was  waiting 
for  us. 

At  Frankfort  we  patronized  the  Hotel  Bristol, 
immediately  opposite  the  station.  There  Madame 
K—  -  left  US,  at  the  end  of  her  long  journey,  met  by  her 
little  daughter,  whom  she  had  not  seen  in  two  years. 

So  tired  were  we  now  that  to  avoid  annoyance 
we  decided  to  rest  here  and  not  go  on  till  later  in  the 
afternoon,       foregoing  the  trip  by  boat  on  the  Rhine. 

Barring  several  calls  we  passed  a  quiel  day,  the 
greater  part   of   it    spent    in    riding   beside   the    Rhine 

321 


ABOUND   THE  WORLD  IN  NINETY  DAYS 

and  within  a  very  few  feel  of  it;   and  I  think  we  arc  as 
well  satisfied  as  we  would   have  been  had  we   pursued 

our  original  plans. 

L  suppose  no  other  body  of  water  can  present  such 
a  series  of  pictures  as  this  famous  river-  Its  natural 
scenery  is,  I  judge,  interior  to  that  of  the  Hudson  in 
the  highlands;  hut  the  surmounting  fortresses  and 
castles  complete  and  fill  the  Rhine  picture  until,  allow- 


...  i 

1 

1 

^"    IT                           "*  «^| 

HH 

Before  the  Cathedral 


ing  for  the  effect  on  the  mind  of  the  thought  of  what 
tremendous  events  these  embattled  heights  have  wit- 
nessed, it  becomes  incomparable. 

At  Cologne,  where  we  arrived  in  the  middle  of 
the  evening,  we  went  to  "The  Harms,"  beside  the 
station.  That  is  another  good  thing  about  Europe 
—  first-class  hotels  abound  close  to  the  railroad  termini. 

In  the  morning  wre  attended  divine  service  at  the 

322 


THE  LAST  OF  EUROPE 

cathedral,   the   most   impressive   religious   event   yet   in 
my  life. 

All  the  people  appeared  to  be  really  religious. 
Nobody  who  approached  the  entrance  failed  to  enter, 
if  only  for  a  moment, — boys  on  their  way  to  school 
with  their  knapsacks  of  books  on  their  backs;  busi- 
ness men,  hurrying  on  errands;  all  slipped  inside, 
bowed  the  head  a  moment  to  the  grand  music  and 
then  hurried  away.  I  have  never  seen  anything  like 
that  in  America.  We  have  to  dress-up  to  go  to  church. 
Often  I  fear,  as  in  my  early  life,  we  go  to  church  to 
dress-up. 

The  thing  about  Europe  that  I  like  best  is  its 
cosmopolitan  life  and  independence.  Each  individual 
can  develop  himself  to  his  complete  stature;  make  the 
very  most,  for  example,  of  his  physical  self;  wear  what 
becomes  him  best;  trim  his  hair  and  beard  as  appears 
best  to  him,  don  a  cloak  if  he  likes  it  better  than  a 
coat;  carry  the  cane  he  likes  the  best,  even  if  it  be  an 
Alpenstock;  appear  in  short  trousers  or  long  ones; 
wear  velvet  if  he  admires  it  —  and  nobody  ever  looks 
at  him  in  criticism  or  points  to  him  with  derision 
not  even  the  smallest  children. 

At  Cologne,  a  young  man  entered  the  restaurant 
where  we  were  seated.  He  wore  knickerbockers,  a 
corduroy  Eton  jacket,  a  long,  flowing  tie,  carelessly 
knotted,  while  from  his  left  shoulder  hung  a  cloak  that 
reached  to  his  heels.  His  mustache  copied  that  of 
the  Emperor  of  Germany  —  an  effect  produced  by 
little  pins  for  sale  by  all  barbers  now,  in  that  country. 
On  his  head  was  a  Swiss  cap  with  a  small  green  feather 
in  one  side  of  it,  and  he  carried  a  large  stick  not  unlike 
those  which  men  of  1620  carried  along  Massachusetts 
Bay.  That  man  would  have  caused  a  block  on  Fifth 
Avenue,  and  would  have  been  hooted  out  of  New 
York  by  the  loafers  or  sheet  gamins  on  every  corner, 
and  insulted  by  the  smiles  of  derision  on  the  elevated 
and  surface  cars.  But  nobody  looked  at  him  twice  ill 
Cologne.     Imagine  appearing  in  Boston  with  a  helmet! 

In  leaving  Cologne  we  got  into  a   first-class   mess, 

323 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IX  NINETY  DAYS 

one  o(  the  worst  of  the  trip.  Only  excessive  caution 
in  insisting  that  all  our  party  be  at  the  station  one  hour 
before  train  time,  prevented  our  undoing. 

Our  Cook's  tickets  gave  us  passage  from  Mainz 
to  Cologne  by  boat,  hut  not  by  rail.  The  railroad  fare 
between  these1  two  points  we  paid  on  arrival  at  Cologne, 
thus  keeping  our  tickets  intact  for  the  purpose  of 
realizing  on  the  unused  river  ticket.  About  seven- 
forty-five  1  went  to  the  depot  with  my  ticket  and  one  of 
the  hoys,  cautioning  the  ladies  to  be  at  the  hotel  at 
nine,  when  1  would  call  for  them.  Upon  presenting 
my  tickets  at  the  street  gate  to  the  depot  —  nobody 
can  even  enter  the  upper  part  of  the  depot  on  the 
level  of  the  trains  without  purchasing  a  ticket  —  my 
tickets  were  confiscated  and  by  signs  I  was  made  to 
follow  the  officious  ticket-puncher.  But  first  I  sent  the 
boy  back  to  secure  the  three  tickets  of  those  at  the 
hotel,  and  to  get  them  to  me  in  all  haste.  When  my 
captor  took  me  to  where  we  had  last  paid  the  fare  from 
Mainz  to  Cologne,  I  knew  what  the  trouble  was.  The 
man  believed  we  had  paid  no  railroad  fare  between  the 
places  mentioned. 

I  explained  in  English  and  in  French,  but  all  to 
no  purpose.  The  most  we  could  do  was  to  raise  our 
voices  and  get  angry  at  each  other.  In  despair  I  left 
to  search  out  a  waiter  in  the  restaurant  who,  we  acci- 
dently  learned  the  night  before,  talked  English,  and, 
with  his  assistance,  I  secured  the  return  of  my  tickets 
at  the  end  of  nearly  half  an  hour  of  wrangling. 

As  I  turned  away,  the  boy  I  had  sent  to  the  hotel 
to  secure  the  tickets  of  the  ladies  returned  to  say  that 
none  of  the  party  were  there. 

Now  I  was  frantic.  I  knew  that  gateman  would 
not  let  them  in  and  I  could  not  leave  to  help  them,  and 
get  the  baggage  checked,  too.  And  there  wras  not  a 
moment  to  spare  from  the  baggage.  It  was  within 
half  an  hour  of  train  time. 

Confronted  by  these  complications,  I  went  to  the 
baggagemen.     Three    or   four   passengers    were    ahead 

324 


THE  LAST  OF  EUROPE 

of  me.  Fussing  would  do  no  good,  so  I  merely  per- 
spired for  quarter  of  an  hour. 

At  last  I  was  free.  I  had  less  than  fifteen  minutes 
to  run  two  blocks;  return  with  the  throe  absent  ones 
and  the  thirteen  pieces  of  baggage;  adjust  the  dispute 
about  the  railroad  tickets;  and  board  the  last  train 
that  would  enable  us  to  catch  our  steamer. 

No  such  a  thing  was  ever  done  in  Europe.  It 
was  with  a  sinking  heart  that  I  told  my  boy  companion 
where  to  stand  till  he  saw  my  return,  and  leaped  away, 
down  the  stairs,  three  and  four  steps  at  a  time. 

But  I  heard  my  name  called.  I  looked  up.  There 
was  Mrs.  C,  the  other  two,  and  two  porters  with  all 
our  thirteen  pieces.  There  is  the  trouble,  it  has  just 
occurred  to  me,  in  that  number  thirteen! 

"How  did  you  get  through.-'"  I  asked  breath- 
lessly. 

"Pushed  through.  He  wanted  to  stop  us  but  I 
pushed  by  him.  He  wanted  our  tickets  but  I  wouldn't 
let  him  see  them.  I  was  too  busy,  and  it  was  too  much 
bother." 

I  fairly  shouted.  She  had  waited  till  she  knew 
something  detained  me,  and  then  moved,  and  no  two 
fat-witted  German  gatetenders  could  defeat  her. 
She  had  saved  us  once  more. 

Several  minutes  later,  Mrs.  Dalian  left  her  hand- 
bag with  $5,000  of  jewelry  in  it  on  a  table  in  the  restau- 
rant and  started  for  England,  never  missing  it.  I 
put  her  and  her  boys  onto  their  train  and  turned  to 
go  to  ours.  As  the  car  moved  Mrs.  C.  appeared  and 
handed  the  bag  through  the  window. 

We  could  have  owrcd  her  still  more  money  after 
that. 


325 


CHAPTER    XXV 


HOME 


Thank  goodness,  the  last  knot  was  untied. 

To  Bremen  from  Cologne  was  a  ride  of  several 
hours,  in  an  express  train.  The  country  is  flat,  but 
with  its  red-tiled  roofs  and  huge  windmills,  is  of  a 
picturesque  character.  The  fields  appeared  to  be 
worked  more  by  women  than  by  men.  Every  Ger- 
man workman,  apparently,  wears  a  military  cap  with 
a  visor. 

But  the  day  was  too  cool  and  I  contracted  the 
first  cold  that  had  afflicted  me  since  leaving  America. 
With  this  touch  of  home  life  I  began  to  feel  quite 
natural. 

At  Bremen  we  spent  the  night  at  the  Central 
Hotel,  across  the  street  from  the  depot. 

The  town  was  overrun  with  passengers  for  our 
ship,  and  all  met  at  a  famous  Rathskeller  filled  with 
enormous  casks,  perhaps  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  con- 
taining wines,  scores  of  years  old. 

At  eight  the  next  morning  we  were  aboard  the 
special  train  provided  for  the  ship's  passengers,  and 
in  an  hour  alighted  at  Bremerhaven  and  after  another 
rather  disagreeable  two  hours  on  a  small  launch,  were 
beside  the  "Kaiser  Wilhelm  II,"  which  was  to  be  our 
home  for  the  next  week. 

We  had  been  assigned  to  stateroom  No.  440,  a 
miserable,  small,  outside  room.  The  whole  room  was 
about  five  feet  wide  by  six  long.  This  had  been 
sold  to  us  as  first-class  accommodation.  It  was  an 
imposition,  a  misrepresentation,  nothing  more  nor  less. 

To  add  to  its  charms,  there  was  an  ash  chute 
directly  under  it  that  played  at  intervals  during  the 
night,  furnishing  a  noise  that  was  fully  equal  to  that  of 

326 


HOME 

a  Devil's  fiddle.  Moreover,  we  were  down  five  decks! 
and  yet,  wonderful  to  say,  our  port-hole  was  fully  ten 
feet  above  the  waves. 

This  was  our  third  crossing  of  the  Atlantic,  and 
we  soon  discovered  that  ocean  travel  on  such  a  steamer 
as  the  "Kaiser  Wilhelm"  is  an  altogether  different 
affair  from  a  passage  on  any  other  sort  of  boat.  There 
is  about  the  difference  between  the  two  that  there  is 
between  crossing  New  York  State  on  the  Empire  State 
Express  and  on  an  accommodation  train. 

Think    of    seven    hundred    and    fifteen    first-class 


The  Kaiser  Wilhelm  11 

passengers  and  never  an  instant  of  crowding!  two 
promenade  decks  sonic  twenty-five  feel  wide,  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  around,  -a  dining-room  in  which  all  are 
seated  at  once  and  served  with  the  menu  and  service  of 
the  Waldorf-Astoria,  to  music  of  a  first-class  orchestra 
of  twenty  pieces;  a  music  room;  library,  half  a  dozen 
restaurants,  rooms  for  developing  and  printing  pic- 
tures, wireless  telegraphy;  and  absolute  freedom  l<» 
wear  what  yon  like  at  ;ill  times;  t<>  have  everything 
served   that  yon    want   on   deck,   in   your  stateroom,   or 

327 


AROUND   THE  WORLD  IN  NINETY  DATS 

in  the  library,  at  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night!  You 
are  in  a  huge  American  hotel  moving  through  the  water 
at  twenty-three  miles  an  hour,  with  a  certainty  that 
you  will  catch  the  exact  train  you  depend  upon  at  the 
end  of  the  voyage.  It  is  no  longer  a  question  as  to 
what  day  we  shall  arrive  in  New  York,  hut  at  just 
what  hour. 

Such  accomplishments  are  wonderful,  marvellous. 
Hut  our  ship  contained  many  of  the  poorest  staterooms 
1  have  ever  seen.  They  were  nothing  but  holes  in  the 
wall,  and  intending  travelers  will  do  well  to  assure 
themselves  on  the  extent  and  particulars  of  their  ac- 
commodation before  reaching  an  irrevocable  decision. 

The  absolute  independence  of  everybody  aboard 
was  complete.  These  hundreds  of  people  were  there 
only  for  a  few  hours.  They  represented  many  nations. 
They  wore  many  costumes,  and  not  one  excited  com- 
ment. There  were  no  chance  acquaintances  to  bother 
one's  reflections  or  rest.  One  was  as  free  from  notice 
as  on  Broadway. 

Aboard  were  a  fool-looking  Prince  and  Princess 
and  a  number  of  the  very  famous  Newport,  New  York 
wealthy  people,  the  Vanderbilts,  the  Whitneys,  the 
Goelets,  the  Carrolls,  the  Burdens,  while  the  most 
sought  after  by  the  ladies  was  Maxine  Elliot. 

The  New  Yorkers  mentioned  were  about  the  most 
modest  appearing  people  on  the  ship.  Not  once  did 
they  affect  elaborate  dress,  and  not  a  man  of  the  num- 
ber donned  a  dress  suit.  The  women  wore  almost  no 
jewelry.  The  manners  of  all  were  those  of  quiet, 
good  taste,  and  might  well  have  been  copied  by  those 
poorer  people  who  tried  to  startle  the  ship  by  a  new- 
gown  every  evening,  and  by  their  loud  voices. 

Another  detail  I  noted  was  the  complete  absence 
of  spirits  from  the  table  at  which  sat  these  New  York 
society  people. 

Our  own  lives  aboard  appear  best  told  by  my 
diary: 

'"Tuesday,     20th     Sept.     Ship    sailed     at     11.30. 
Played  pianola  for  three  hours  this  afternoon.     Secured 

328 


1H  >  Mi-; 


another  stateroom  for  to-night,  as  ash  chute  bothers 
Mrs.  C.  so  she  cannot  sleep  and  she  must  get  some 
rest.  To-morrow  we'll  see  if  I  can't  hire  a  stewardess's 
room.  Bad  service  in  some  departments  aboard 
After  ringing  just  thirty  minutes  from  the  music-  room,  1 
was  informed  that  the  attendant  was  asleep.  In  course 
of  fifteen  minutes  he  appeared.  Later  in  the  evening 
was  ten  minutes  in  getting  an  answer  to  my  bell,  in 
an  upstairs  cafe.     Ship  rolls  pretty  badly. 

"Wednesday,  21st  Sept.  Arrive  Southampton  at 
about  9  a.m.  Left  at  12. 4o.  Rode  about  town. 
Have  a  violent  cold.  Was  ordered  to  drink  three  hot 
whiskeys  from  hand  of  a  barmaid,  who  almost  fainted 
when  I  gave  her  ten  cents  for  herself. 

"Arrived  at  Cherbourg  about  five.  Did  not  land. 
Left  there  at  seven-twenty-eight  this  evening.  S;iw 
statue  of  Napoleon  on  the  spot  from  which  lie  con- 
templated the  invasion  of  England.  Heavy  motion 
first  hour  and  then  quieted  down.     Lovely  moonlight. 

"Thursday,  22nd  Sept.  Heavy  motion  all  day. 
Fair  and  warm.  Worked  all  day  on  report.  Mis.  ('. 
sick  with  malaria,  and  did  not  leave  her  bunk.  Splen- 
did moon. 

"Friday,  23rd  Sept.  Hazv  to-day.  Motion  much 
less  than  Her.  My  cold  has  left  my  throat  and  gone 
to  my   head;    but  I  think  the  worst   is  over. 

"F.M.C.  still  abed,  but  much  better;  worked  on 
report  to-day.  Expect  to  finish  it  by  time  we  reach 
New  York.  Miles,  574,  2:5  11-12  an  hour.  Terrific 
speed. 

"Saturday,  24th  Sept.  572  miles,  1546  from 
Cherburg.      Finished  report   to-night. 

"Sunday,  25th  Sept.  574  miles.  At  5.15  a.m. 
F.  woke  me  to  shut  port-hole,  as  a  swash  of  water 
had  entered.  From  that  time  began  a  gale  from  the 
southwest  and  the  spray  wet  all  decks  and  smashed 
against  the  windows  of  the  library,  fifty  feel  above 
the  water-line.     I  spent  the  day  on"  the  sofa  in  library 

and     would     have    been    seasick  '  if    I     had     moved,    so    'l 

kept  quiet.     Very  ill  all  daw 


829 


AROUND   THE   WORLD   IX  NINETY  DAYS 

"  Monday,  26th  Sept.  Gale  over.  F.  M.  C.  and  1 
woke  uj)  at  four-thirty  and  went  to  reading.  Sun  out 
lovely.     Very  weak  to-day. 

'Tuesday,  27th  Sept.  Cp  at  4  a.m.  We  were 
then  stopped  off  the  Sandy  Hook  Light  Ship.  The 
cessation  of  the  engines  awoke  us  both  instantly. 

"Had  to  stay  down  in  the  dining-room  all  the  way 
up  the  harbor  till  we  touched  the  dock,  in  order  to  get 


The  Belle  of  the  Kaiser  Willi  elm  II 


a  chance  to  declare  our  baggage;  a  great  disappoint- 
ment. We  landed  at  ten,  the  exact  hour  predicted  at 
beginning  of  voyage.  At  the  Grand  Central  Station 
at  ten-forty-five." 

To  me  the  last  hour  of  the  voyage  was  the  most 
exasperating  of  the  entire  ninety  days'  journey.  You 
may  imagine  that  I  wanted  to  look  at  every  detail  of 
the    entrance    to    New    York    harbor.     Instead,  I   was 

330 


HOME 

imprisoned  below  in  the  dining-room  with  seven 
hundred  and  thirteen  other  passengers,  impatiently 
awaiting  my  turn  to  reach  one  of  the  seven  in- 
spectors* to  whom  we  could  state  the  particulars  of  our 
baggage. 

This  arrangement  can  be  bettered  by  a  little 
thoughtfulness. 

As  we  were  informed  by  the  circulars  placed  in 
the  box  at  the  office  of  the  Steward,  each  returning 
resident  of  the  United  States  could  bring  in  free  what 


Hello  Chamb'lin! 


he  had  started  with,  and  any  other  articles  not  exceed- 
ing one  hundred  dollars  in  cost  at  the  place  of  purchase. 
Those  provisions  liberated  everything  we  had,  and  we 
were  less  than  five  minutes  in  passing. 

That  night  we  spent  at  our  own  home  in  Wollas- 
ton  and  slept  soundly  for  the  first  time  in  ninny  weeks, 
for  we  had  been  going  around  the  world  in  ninety 
days.  The  above  picture  indicates  the  manner  in 
which  our  friends  received  us. 

331 


CHAPTER   XXVI 


REFLECTIONS 

From  Boston  to  Boston  the  time  was  just  ninety- 
three  days.  Of  that  time  twenty-six  days  were  passed 
on  land,  the  balance,  sixty-seven,  on  the  ocean.  No 
gale  attacked  us,  worthy  of  the  name,  until  we  were 
off  Cape  Cod,  on  the  last  day  but  one  of  the  entire  trip. 

Not  a  train  was  late,  not  a  ship  an  hour  overdue 
at  any  port,  and  we  landed  in  New  York  at  the  exact 
hour  set  when  we  planned  the  journey  from   Manila. 

We  never  saw  an  American  flag  on  any  piece  of 
shipping  except  in  an  American  port,  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  journey  to  its  termination. 

Once,  while  we  were  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  the 
"Prinz  Heinrich,"  sister  ship  to  ours,  met  us.  She 
was  half-way  to  her  destination  in  Japan.  We  were 
midway  to  ours  in  Germany. 

AVe  passed,  a  hundred  yards  apart,  the  band  on 
each  playing  the  German  National  Anthem.  Every 
month  in  the  year  those  steamers  so  meet,  those  bands 
so  play.  It  must  have  made  the  Germans  proud, 
who  were  aboard.  A  more  inspiring  sight  could  hardly 
-be  arranged,  and  it  brought  a  peculiar  strength  to  the 
meaning  of  the  German  lady  who,  that  evening,  to 
some  of  my  complaints  about  our  ship,  said  simply, 
"Perhaps  you'll  take  an  American  line  to  Europe  the 
next  time." 

"Well,  there  may  be  one  when  I  am  next  in  that 
part  of  the  world;  but  just  then  I  was  unhorsed  and 
trodden  upon. 

The  only  news  about  our  great  country  that  we 
saw  on  the  journey,  except  when  on  United  States 
territory,  was  that  Mr.  Jeffries  had  licked  Mr.  Fitz- 
simmons. 

The    number  of  lies    which    were    told   about   the 

332 


REFLECTIOXS 

privations  ahead  for  us  by  those  who  said  they  had 
been  there  would  more  than  fill  this  book.  From  my 
observation  I  believe  the  average  traveler  becomes  as 
great  a  liar  when  conversing  with  those  who  have  not 
duplicated  his  experience,  as  does  the  latest  recruit 
when  he  writes  home  to  his  best  girl. 

As  a  general  rule,  those  parts  of  the  journey  which 
were  represented  to  us  as  the  worst  were  the  very  best. 
For  example,  the  trip  far  south  to  Singapore  and 
through  the  Indian  Ocean  along  beside  the  equator, 
hundreds  of  miles  further  south  than  our  voyage  across 
the  Pacific,  was  by  far  the  cooler  of  the  two  long  voy- 
ages. But  not  a  person  who  talked  of  the  later  voyage 
told  us  this  was  sure  to  be  so.  In  many  years  that 
southwest  Monsoon  has  never  failed  to  "blow.  Like- 
wise about  the  Red  Sea.  Nobody  ever  told  us  that  its 
passage  against  the  wind  was  fairly  cool. 

Some  inquiries  have  been  made  of  me  as  to  the 
cost  of  our  trip.  For  twenty-five  hundred  dollars,  a 
couple  could  duplicate  our  trip,  stay  longer  at  the 
various  ports,  visit  Japan,  and  the  principal  Chinese 
cities  —  also  Bangkok  and  Calcutta,  cross  India  by 
rail  to  Bombay,  visit  the  Pyramids,  Greece  and  Europe. 

Six  months  would  be  ample  for  such  a  journey, 
and  the  starting  should  be  about  October  first;  and— 
I  believe  —  it  will  be  the  most  profitable  investment 
you  ever  made.  It  will  teach  you  as  nothing  else,  of 
which  I  know,  that  mere  possession  of  money  is  of 
little  importance  and  little  worth.  It  will  add  to  your 
mental  stature. 

Do  it. 

FINIS 


833 


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